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THE     FIRST     BOOK 


SAMUEL. 


BY  THE  REV.   PROFESSOU 

W.    G.    BLAIKIE,    D.D.,    LL.D, 


NEW  YORK: 

A,    C.    ARMSTRONG    AND     SON, 

51    EAST    lOTH    STREET,    NEAR   BROADWAY, 
1898. 


9X19 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I, 
HANNAH*S  TRIAL  AND  TRUST         ---•••        I 

CHAPTER  IL 
Hannah's  faith  rew\rded       --•-••    14 

CHAPTER   IIL 
Hannah's  song  of  thanksgiving      -       •       •       •       •    25 

CHAPTER  IV. 
ELl'S  HOUSE  •-----•••37 

CHAPTER  V. 

SAMUEL'S  VISION  -----•••49 

CHAPTER  VI. 

THE  ARK  OF   GOD  TAKEN    BY   THE   PHILISTINES      •  •  •     6I 

CHAPTER   VII. 
THE  ARK   AMONG   THE   PHILISTINES        -  .  •  •  •     73 


vi  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER   VIII. 

rAGE 

REPENTANCE  AND   REVIVAL-  ••-••-     8$ 

CHAPTER   IX. 

NATIONAL  DELIVERANCE — THE    PHILISTINES   SUBDUED  -  -     97 

CHAPTER   X. 
THE   PEOPLE   DEMAND  A   KING         •--•-•  I09 

CHAPTER   XI. 
SAUL  BROUGHT  TO  SAMUEL  -  -  -  -  -  •121 

CHAPTER  XII. 

FIRST   MEETING  OF  SAMUEL  AND   SAUL  -  -  •  -  I33 

CHAPTER   XIII. 
SAUL  ANOINTED  BY  SAMUEL  -  -  •  -  -  •   145 

CHAPTER   XIV. 
SAUL  CHOSEN   KING        -  -  -  -  -  •  •  -157 

CHAPTER   XV. 

THE   RELIEF  OF  JABESH-GILEAD     -  -  -  •  -  -169 

CHAPTER   XVI. 

SAMUEL'S  VINDICATION   OF   HIMSELF       -  •  -  -  -   I81 

CHAPTER  XVII. 
SAMUEL'S  DEALINGS  WITH   THE   PEOPLE  •  •  -  -   193 


CONTENTS.  vii 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 

PA',  a 

SAUL   AND   SAMUEL   AT   GILGAL       ------   20$ 

CHAPTER   XIX. 
Jonathan's  exploit  at  michmash     -       •       -       -       -  217 

CHAPTER   XX. 
Saul's  wilfulness     --------  229 

CHAPTER  XXI. 

THE  FINAL   REJECTION   OF  SAUL   -  -  -  -  -  -241 

CHAPTER  XXII. 

I?AVID   ANOINTED   BY   SAMUEL         _-•••-  253 

CHAPTER   XXIII. 
David's  early  life    -        -        -        -       -       •       •       -265 

CHAPTER   XXIV. 
DAVID'S   CONFLICT  WITH   GOLIATH  -  •  •  -  -  278 

CHAPTER   XXV. 
saul's  jealousy — David's  marriage-        .       •       •       -  292 

CHAPTER  XXVI. 

saul's   FURTHER   EFFORTS   AGAINST   DAVID  -  -  -  -  305 

CHAPTER  XXVIl. 

DAVID   AND  JONATHAN  ----«•-  317 


viii  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER    XXVIII. 

PAGH 
DAVID  AT  NOB   AND   AT   GATH         ------  329 

CHAPTER   XXIX. 
DAVID  AT  ADULLAM,    MIZPEH,   AND   HARETH  -  -  -  341 

CHAPTER   XXX. 
DAVID  AT   KEILAH,  ZIPH,   AND   MAON      -  -  •  •  •  354 

CHAPTER   XXXI. 

DAVID   TWICE   SPARES  THE   LIFE   OF   SAUL      -  •  •  -  366 

CHAPTER   XXXII. 
DAVID  AND  NABAL         -------.  378 

CHAPTER  XXXIII. 
DAVID'S  SECOND  FLIGHT  TO  GATH  -  -  -  •  -  391 

CHAPTER   XXXIV. 
SAUL   AT   ENDOR  -----••••  404 

CHAPTER   XXXV. 
DAVID  AT  ZIKLAG  ..--••••  416 

CHAPTER   XXXVI. 
THE  DEATH  OF  SAUL    ----••••  429 


CHAPTER   I. 

HANNAH'S   TRIAL  AND    TRUST. 
I  Samuel  i    i — 18. 

THE  prophet  Samuel,  like  the  book  which  bears  his 
name,  comes  in  as  a  connecting  link  between  the 
Judges  and  the  Kings  of  Israel.  He  belonged  to  a 
transition  period.  It  was  appointed  to  him  to  pilot  the 
nation  between  two  stages  of  its  history  :  from  a  republic 
to  a  monarchy;  from  a  condition  of  somewhat  casual 
and  indefinite  arrangements  to  one  of  more  systematic 
and  orderly  government.  The  great  object  of  his  life 
was  to  secure  that  this  change  should  be  made  in  the 
way  most  beneficial  for  the  nation,  and  especially  most 
beneficial  for  its  spiritual  interests.  Care  must  be^ 
taken  that  while  becoming  like  the  nations  in  having 
a  king,  Israel  shall  not  become  like  them  in  religion, 
but  shall  continue  to  stand  out  in  hearty  and  un- 
swerving allegiance  to  the  law  and  covenant  of  their 
fathers'  God. 

Samuel  was  the  last  of  the  judges,  and  in  a  sense 
the  first  of  the  prophets.  The  last  of  the  judges,  but 
not  a  military  judge;  not  ruling  like  Samson  by 
physical  strength,  but  by  high  spiritual  qualities  and 
prayer  ;  not  so  much  wrestling  against  flesh  and  blood 
as  against  principalities  and  powers,  and  the  rulers  of 
the  darkness  of  this  world,   and  spiritual  wickedness 

VOL.  1.  I 


THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL, 


in  high  places.  In  this  respect  his  function  as  judge 
blended  with  his  work  as  prophet.  Before  him,  the 
prophetic  office  was  but  a  casual  illumination ;  under 
him  it  becomes  a  more  steady  and  systematic  light. 
He  was  the  first  of  a  succession  of  prophets  whom  God 
placed  side  by  side  with  the  kings  and  priests  of  Israel 
to  supply  that  fresh  moral  and  spiritual  force  which 
the  prevailing  worldliness  of  the  one  and  formalism  of 
the  other  rendered  so  necessary  for  the  great  ends  for 
which  Israel  was  chosen.  With  some  fine  exceptions, 
the  kings  and  priests  would  have  allowed  the  seed  of 
Abraham  to  drift  away  from  the  noble  purpose  for 
which  God  had  called  them ;  conformity  to  the  world 
in  spirit  if  not  in  form  was  the  prevailing  tendency  ; 
the  prophets  were  raised  up  to  hold  the  nation  firmly 
to  the  covenant,  to  vindicate  the  claims  of  its  heavenly 
King,  to  thunder  judgments  against  idolatry  and  all 
rebellion,  and  pour  words  of  comfort  into  the  hearts 
of  all  who  were  faithful  to  their  God,  and  who  looked 
for  redemption  in  Israel.  Of  this  order  of  God's 
servants  Samuel  was  the  first.  And  called  as  he  was 
to  this  office  at  a  transition  period,  the  importance  of 
it  was  all  the  greater.  It  was  a  work  for  which  no 
ordinary  man  was  needed,  and  for  which  no  ordinary 
man  was  found. 

Very  often  the  finger  of  God  is  seen  very  clearly  in 
connection  with  the  birth  and  early  training  of  those 
who  are  to  become  His  greatest  agents.  The  instances 
of  Moses,  Samson,  and  John  the  Baptist,  to  say  nothing 
of  our  blessed  Lord,  are  familiar  to  us  all.  Very  often 
the  family  from  which  the  great  man  is  raised  up  is 
among  the  obscurest  and  least  distinguished  of  the 
country.  The  ''  certain  man  "  who  lived  in  some  quiet 
cottage  at   Ramathaim-Zophim  would  never  probably 


L  1-18.  HANNAH'S    TRIAL   AND    TRUST. 


have  euierged  from  his  native  obscurity  but  for  God's 
purpose  to  make  a  chosen  vessel  of  his  son.  In  the 
case  of  this  family,  and  in  the  circumstances  of  Samuel's 
birth,  we  see  a  remarkable  overruling  of  human  in- 
firmity to  the  purposes  of  the  Divine  will.  If  Peninnah 
had  been  kind  to  Hannah,  Samuel  might  never  have 
been  born.  It  was  the  unbearable  harshness  of  Pen- 
innah that  drove  Hannah  to  the  throne  of  grace,  and 
brought  to  her  wrestling  faith  the  blessing  she  so 
eagerly  pled  for.  What  must  have  seemed  to  Hannah 
at  the  time  a  most  painful  dispensation  became  the 
occasion  of  a  glorious  rejoicing.  The  very  element 
that  aggravated  her  trial  was  that  which  led  to  her 
triumph.  Like  many  another,  Hannah  found  the  be- 
ginning of  her  life  intensely  painful,  and  as  a  godly 
woman  she  no  doubt  wondered  why  God  seemed  to 
care  for  her  so  little.  But  at  evening  time  there  was 
hght ;  like  Job,  she  saw  "the  end  of  the  Lord;"  the 
mystery  cleared  away,  and  to  her  as  to  the  patriarch 
it  appeared  very  clearly  that  '*  the  Lord  is  very  pitiful 
and  of  tender  mercy." 

The  home  in  which  Samuel  is  born  has  some  points 
of  quiet  interest  about  it ;  but  these  are  marred  by 
serious  defects.  It  is  a  religious  household,  at  least  in 
the  sense  that  the  outward  duties  of  rehgion  are  care- 
fully attended  to ;  but  the  moral  tone  is  defective. 
First,  there  is  that  radical  blemish — want  of  unity.  No 
doubt  it  was  tacitly  permitted  to  a  man  in  those  days 
to  have  two  wives.  But  where  there  were  two  wives 
there  were  two  centres  of  interest  and  feeling,  and 
discord  must  ensue. 

Elkanah  does  not  seem  to  have  felt  that  in  having 
two  wives  he  could  do  justice  to  neither.  And  he  had 
but  little  sympathy  for  the  particular  disappointment  of 


7 HE  FIRST  BOOK   OF  SAMUEL. 


Hannah.  He  calculated  that  a  woman's  heart-hunger 
in  one  direction  ought  to  be  satisfied  by  copious  gifts 
in  another.  And  as  to  Peninnah,  so  little  idea  had  she 
of  the  connection  of  true  religion  and  high  moral  tone, 
that  the  occasion  of  the  most  solemn  religious  service 
of  the  nation  was  her  time  for  pouring  out  her  bitterest 
passion.  Hannah  is  the  only  one  of  the  three  of 
whom  nothing  but  what  is  favourable  is  recorded. 

With  regard  to  the  origin  of  the  family,  it  seems 
to  have  been  of  the  tribe  of  Levi.  If  so,  Elkanah 
would  occasionally  have  to  serve  the  sanctuary ;  but  no 
mention  is  made  of  such  service.  For  anything  that 
appears,  Elkanah  may  have  spent  his  life  in  the  same 
occupations  as  the  great  bulk  of  the  people.  The 
place  of  his  residence  was  not  many  miles  from  Shiloh, 
which  was  at  that  time  the  national  sanctuary.  But 
the  moral  influence  from  that  quarter  was  by  no  means 
beneficial ;  a  decrepit  high  priest,  unable  to  restrain 
the  profligacy  of  his  sons,  whose  vile  character  brought 
religion  into  contempt,  and  led  men  to  associate  gross 
wickedness  with  Divine  service, — of  such  a  state  of 
things  the  influence  seemed  fitted  rather  to  aggravate 
than  to  lessen  the  defects  of  Elkanah's  household. 

Inside  Elkanah's  house  we  see  two  strange  arrange- 
ments of  Providence,  of  a  kind  that  often  moves  our 
astonishment  elsewhere.  First,  we  see  a  woman  emi- 
nently fitted  to  bring  up  children,  but  having  none  to 
bring  up.  On  the  other  hand,  we  see  another  woman, 
whose  temper  and  ways  are  fitted  to  ruin  children, 
entrusted  with  the  rearing  of  a  family.  In  the  one 
case  a  God-fearing  woman  does  not  receive  the  gifts  of 
Providence  ;  in  the  other  case  a  woman  of  a  selfish 
and  cruel  nature  seems  loaded  with  His  benefits.  In 
looking  round  us,  we  often  see  a  similar  arrangement 


i,  I-iS.]  HANNAH'S   TRIAL  AND   TRUST.  5 

of  other  gifts  ;  we  see  riches,  for  example,  in  the  very 
worst  of  hands ;  while  those  who  from  their  principles 
and  character  are  fitted  to  make  the  best  use  of  them 
have  often  difficulty  in  securing  the  bare  necessaries 
of  life.  How  is  this  ?  Does  God  really  govern,  or 
do  time  and  chance  regulate  all  ?  If  it  were  God's 
purpose  to  distribute  His  gifts  exactly  as  men  are 
able  to  estimate  and  use  them  aright,  we  should 
doubtless  see  a  very  different  distribution ;  but  God's 
aim  in  this  world  is  much  more  to  try  and  to  train  \" 
than  to  reward  and  fulfil.  All  these  anomalies  of 
Providence  point  to  a  future  state.  What  God  does 
we  know  not  now,  but  we  shall  know  hereafter.  The 
misuse  of  God's  gifts  brings  its  punishment  both  here 
and  in  the  life  to  come.  Tc  whom  much  is  given, 
of  them  much  shall  be  required.  For  those  who  have 
shown  the  capacity  to  use  God's  gifts  aright,  there 
will  be  splendid  opportunities  in  another  life.  To 
those  who  have  received  much,  but  abused  much,  there 
comes  a  fearful  reckoning,  and  a  dismal  experience  of 
the  "  the  unprofitable  servant's  doom." 

The  trial  which  Hannah  had  to  bear  was  peculiarly 
heavy,  as  is  well  known,  to  a  Hebrew  woman.  To 
have  no  child  was  not  only  a  disappointment,  but 
seemed  to  mark  one  out  as  dishonoured  by  God, — as 
unworthy  of  any  part  or  lot  in  the  means  that  were  to 
bring  about  the  fuliilm.ent  of  the  promise,  '^  In  thee 
and  in  thy  seed  shall  all  the  families  of  the  earth  be 
blessed."  In  the  case  of  Hannah,  the  trial  was  aggra- 
vated by  tiie  very  presence  of  Peninnah  and  her 
children  in  the  same  household.  Had  she  been  alone, 
her  mind  might  not  have  brooded  over  her  want,  and 
she  and  her  husband  might  have  so  ordered  their  Hfe 
as  ahnost  to  forget  tlie  blank,     gut  with  Peninngh  and 


THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL, 


her  children  constantly  before  her  eyes,  such  a  course 
was  impossible.  She  could  never  forget  the  contrast 
between  the  two  wives.  Like  an  aching  tooth  or  an 
aching  head,  it  bred  a  perpetual  pain. 

In  many  cases  home  affords  a  refuge  from  our  trials, 
but  in  this  case  home  was  the  very  scene  of  the  .lial. 
There  is  another  refuge  from  trial,  which  is  very  grateful 
to  devout  hearts — the  house  of  God  and  the  exercises 
of  public  worship.  A  member  of  Hannah's  race,  who 
was  afterwards  to  pass  through  many  a  trial,  was  able 
even  when  far  away,  to  find  great  comfort  in  the  very 
thought  of  the  house  of  God,  with  its  songs  of  joy  and 
praise,  and  its  multitude  of  happy  worshippers,  and  to 
rally  his  desponding  feelings  into  cheerfulness  and  hope. 
"  Why  art  thou  cast  down,  O  my  soul,  and  why  art  thou 
disquieted  within  me  ?  Hope  in  God,  for  I  shall  yet 
praise  Him  for  the  health  of  His  countenance."  But 
from  Hannah  this  resource  likewise  was  cut  off.  The 
days  of  high  festival  were  her  days  of  bitter  pros- 
tration. 

It  was  the  custom  in  religious  households  for  the  head 
of  the  house  to  give  presents  at  the  public  festivals. 
Elkanah,  a  kind-hearted  but  not  very  discriminating 
man,  kept  up  the  custom,  and  as  we  suppose,  to  com- 
pensate Hannah  for  the  want  o\  children,  he  gave  her  at 
these  times  a  worthy  or  double  portion.  But  his  kind- 
ness was  inconsiderate.  It  only  raised  the  jealousy  of 
Peninnah.  For  her  and  her  children  to  get  less  than 
the  childless  Hannah  was  intolerable.  No  sense  of 
courtesy  restrained  her  from  uttering  her  feeling.  No 
sisterly  compassion  urged  her  to  spare  the  feelings  of 
her  rival.  No  regard  for  God  or  His  worship  kept  back 
the  storm  of  bitterness.  With  the  reckless  impetuosity 
of  a  bitter  heart  she  to^k  these  opportunities  to  re- 


i.  1-18.]  HANNAirS   TRIAL  AND    TRUST.  7 

proach  Hannah  with  her  chilJless  condition.  She 
knew  the  tender  spot  of  her  heart,  and,  instead  of 
sparing  it,  she  selected  it  as  the  very  spot  on  which  to 
plant  her  blows.  Her  very  object  was  to  give  Hannah 
pain,  to  give  her  the  greatest  pain  she  could.  And  so 
the  very  place  that  should  have  been  a  rebuke  to  every 
bitter  feeling,  the  very  time  which  was  sacred  to 
joyous  festivity,  and  the  very  sorrow  that  should  have 
been  kept  furthest  from  Hannah's  thoughts,  were 
selected  by  her  bitter  rival  to  poison  all  her  happiness, 
and  overwhelm  her  with  lamentation  and  woe. 

After  all,  was  Hannah  or  Peninnah  the  more 
wretched  of  the  two  ?  To  suffer  in  the  tenderest  part 
of  one's  nature  is  no  doubt  a  heavy  affliction  But  to 
have  a  heart  eager  to  inflict  such  suffering  on  another 
is  far  more  awful.  Young  people  that  sting  a  comrade 
when  out  of  temper,  that  call  him  names,  that  reproach 
him  with  his  infirmities,  are  far  more  wretched  and 
pitiable  creatures  than  those  whom  they  try  to  irritate. 
It  has  always  been  regarded  as  a  natural  proof  of  the 
hoHness  of  God  that  He  has  made  man  so  that  there  is 
a  pleasure  in  the  exercise  of  his  amiable  feelings,  while 
his  evil  passions,  in  the  very  play  of  them,  produce 
pain  and  misery.  Lady  Macbeth  is  miserable  over 
the  murdered  king,  even  while  exulting  in  the  triumph 
of  her  ambition.  Torn  by  her  heartless  and  reckless 
passions,  her  bosom  is  hke  a  hell.  The  tumult  in 
her  raging*  soul  is  like  the  writhing  of  an  evil  spirit. 
Yes,  my  friends,  if  you  accept  the  offices  of  sin,  if  you 
make  passion  the  instrument  of  your  purposes,  if  you 
make  il  your  business  to  sting  and  to  stab  those  who 
in  some  way  cross  your  path,  you  may  succeed  for  the 
moment,  and  you  may  experience  whatever  of  satisfac- 
tion can  be  found  in  gloated  revenge.     But  know  thisj 


THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL, 


that  you  have  been  cherishing  a  viper  in  your  bosom 
that  will  not  content  itself  with  fulfilling  your  desire. 
It  will  make  itself  a  habitual  resident  in  your  heart,  and 
distil  its  poison  over  it.  It  will  make  it  impossible  for 
you  to  know  anything  of  the  sweetness  of  love,  the 
serenity  of  a  well-ordered  heart,  the  joy  of  trust,  the 
peace  of  heaven.  You  will  be  like  the  troubled  sea, 
whose  waters  cast  up  mire  and  dirt.  You  will  find  the 
truth  of  that  solemn  word,  '*  There  is  no  peace,  saith 
my  God,  to  the  wicked." 

If  the  heart  of  Peninnah  was  actuated  by  this  in- 
fernal desire  to  make  her  neighbour  fret,  it  need  not 
surprise  us  that  she  chose  the  most  solemn  season 
oi  rehgious  worship  to  gratify  her  desire.  What 
could  religion  be  to  such  a  one  but  a  form  ?  What 
communion  could  she  have,  or  care  to  have,  with 
God  ?  How  could  she  realize  what  she  did  in  disturb- 
ing the  communion  of  another  heart  ?  If  we  could 
suppose  her  realizing  the  presence  of  God,  and  holding 
soul-to-soul  communion  with  Him,  she  would  have 
received  such  a  withering  rebuke  to  her  bitter  feel- 
ings as  w^ould  have  filled  her  with  shame  and  con- 
trition. But  when  religious  services  are  a  mere  form, 
there  is  absolutely  nothing  in  them  to  prevent,  at 
such  times,  the  outbreak  of  the  heart's  Vvorst  passions. 
There  are  men  and  women  whose  visits  to  the  house 
of  God  are  often  the  occasions  of  rousing  their  worst, 
or  at  least  very  unworthy,  passions.  Pride,  scorn, 
m.alice,  vanity — how  often  are  they  moved  by  the  very 
sight  of  others  in  the  house  of  God  !  What  strange 
and  unworthy  conceptions  of  Divine  service  such 
persons  must  have  !  What  a  dishonouring  idea  of 
God,  if  they  imagine  that  the  service  of  their  bodies  or 
of  their  lips  is  anything  to  Him.     Surely  in  the  house 


i.  1-18.]  HANNAH'S  TRIAL  AND    TRUST,  9 

of  God,  and  in  the  presence  of  God,  men  ought  to  feel 
that  among  the  things  most  offensive  in  His  eyes  are  a 
foul  heart;  a  fierce  temper,  and  the  spirit  that  hateth  a 
brother.  While,  on  the  other  hand,  if  we  would  serve 
Him  acceptably,  we  must  lay  aside  all  malice  and 
all  guile  and  hypocrisies,  envies  and  all  evil  speak- 
ings. Instead  of  trying  to  make  others  fret,  we 
should  try,  young  and  old  alike,  to  make  the  crooked 
places  of  men's  hearts  straight,  and  the  rough  places 
of  their  lives  plain  ;  try  to  give  the  soft  answer  that 
turneth  away  wrath;  try  to  extinguish  the  flame  of 
passion,  to  lessen  the  sum-total  of  sin,  and  stimulate 
all  that  is  lovely  and  of  good  report  in  the  world 
around  us. 

But  to  return  to  Hannah  and  her  trial.  Year  by  year 
it  went  on,  and  her  sensitive  spirit,  instead  of  feeling  it 
less,  seemed  to  feel  it  more.  It  would  appear  that,  on 
one  occasion,  her  distress  reached  a  climax.  She  was 
so  overcome  that  even  the  sacred  feast  remained  by  her 
untasted.  Her  husband's  attention  was  now  thoroughly 
roused.  "  Hannah,  why  weepest  thou  ?  and  why  eatest 
thou  not  ?  and  why  is  thy  heart  grieved  ?  am  not  I 
better  to  thee  than  ten  sons  ? "  There  was  not  much 
comfort  in  these  questions.  He  did  not  understand  the 
poor  woman's  feeling.  Possibly  his  attempts  to  show  her 
how  little  cause  she  had  to  complain  only  aggravated 
her  distress.  Perhaps  she  thought,  *'When  my  very 
husband  does  not  understand  me,  it  is  time  for  me  to 
cease  from  man."  With  the  double  feeling — my  dis- 
tress is  beyond  endurance,  and  there  is  no  sympathy 
for  me  in  any  fellow-creature — the  thought  may  have 
come  into  her  mind,  "  I  will  arise  and  go  to  my  Father." 
However  it  came  about,  her  trials  had  the  happy  effect 
of  sendino^  her  to  God.     Blessed  fruit  of  affliction  !     Is 


10  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL. 

not  this  the  reason  why  afflictions  are  often  so  severe  ? 
If  they  were  of  ordinary  intensity,  then,  in  the  world's 
phrase,  we  might  "  grin  and  bear  them."  It  is  wlien 
they. become  intolerable  that  men  think  of  God.  As 
Archbishop  Leighton  has  said,  God  closes  up  the  way 
to  every  broken  cistern,  one  after  another,  that  He  may 
induce  you,  bafQed  everywhere  else,  to  take  the  way  to 
the  fountain  of  living  waters.  "  I  looked  on  my  right 
hand  and  beheld,  but  there  was  no  man  that  would 
know  me ;  refuge  failed  me,  no  man  cared  for  my  soul. 
I  cried  unto  thee,  O  Lord  ;  I  said,  Thou  art  my  refuge 
and  my  portion  in  the  land  of  the  living." 

Behold  Hannah,  then,  overwhelmed  with  distress,  in 
'*  the  temple  of  the  Lord"  (as  His  house  at  Shiloh  was 
called),  transacting  solemnly  with  God.  "She  vowed 
a  vow."  She  entered  into  a  transaction  with  God,  as 
really  and  as  directly  as  one  man  transacts  with  another. 
It  is  this  directness  and  distinctness  of  dealing  with 
God  that  is  so  striking  a  feature  in  the  piety  of  those 
early  times.  She  asked  God  for  a  man  child.  But  she 
did  not  ask  this  gift  merely  to  gratify  her  personal 
wish.  In  the  very  act  of  dealing  with  God  she  felt  that 
it  was  His  glory  and  not  her  personal  feelings  that  she 
was  called  chiefly  to  respect.  No  doubt  she  wished  the 
child,  and  she  asked  the  child  in  fulfilment  of  her  own 
vehement  desire.  But  beyond  and  above  that  desire 
there  arose  in  her  soul  the  sense  of  God's  claim  and 
God's  glory,  and  to  these  high  considerations  she  desired 
to  subordinate  every  feeling  of  her  own.  If  God  should 
give  her  the  man  child,  he  would  not  be  hers,  but  God's. 
He  would  be  specially  dedicated  as  a  Nazarite  to  God's 
service.  No  razor  should  come  on  his  head ;  no  drop 
of  strong  drink  should  pass  his  lips.  And  this  would 
not  be  a  mere  temporary  dedication,  it  would  last  all 


I  I-l8.]  HANNAH'S   TRIAL  AND    TRUST,  II 

:he  days  of  his  life.  Eagerly  though  Hannah  desired  a 
son,  she  did  not  wish  him  merely  for  personal  gratifi- 
cation. She  was  not  to  make  herself  the  end  of  her 
child's  existence,  but  would  sacrifice  even  her  reasonable 
and  natural  claims  upon  him  in  order  that  he  might  be 
more  thoroughly  the  servant  of  God. 

Hannah,  as  she  continued  praying,  must  have  felt 
something  of  that  peace  of  soul  which  ever  comes  from 
conscious  communion  with  a  prayer-hearing  God.  But 
probably  her  faith  needed  the  element  of  strengthening 
which  a  kindly  and  favourable  word  from  one  high  in 
God's  service  would  have  imparted.  It  must  have 
been  terrible  for  her  to  find,  when  the  high  priest 
spoke  to  her,  that  it  was  to  insult  her,  and  accuse  her 
of  an  offence  against  decency  itself  from  which  her 
very  soul  would  have  recoiled.  Well  meaning,  but 
weak  and  blundering,  Eli  never  made  a  more  out- 
rageous mistake.  With  firmness  and  dignity,  and  yet 
m  perfect  courtesy,  Hannah  repudiated  the  charge. 
Others  might  try  to  drown  their  sorrows  with  strong 
drink,  but  she  had  poured  out  her  soul  before  God. 
The  high  priest  must  have  felt  ashamed  of  his  rude 
and  unworthy  charge,  as  well  as  rebuked  by  the 
dignity  and  self-possession  of  this  much-tried  but 
upright,  godly  woman.  He  sent  her  away  with  a 
hearty  benediction,  which  seemed  to  convey  to  her  an 
assurance  that  her  prayer  would  be  fulfilled.  As  yet 
it  is  all  a  matt-^r  of  faith ;  but  her  "  faith  is  the  sub- 
stance of  things  hoped  for,  the  evidence  of  things  not 
seen."  Hf^r  burden  is  completely  removed ;  her  soul 
has  returned  to  its  quiet  rest.  This  chapter  of  the 
history  has  a  happy  ending — ^'The  woman  went  her 
way  and  did  eat,  and  her  countenance  was  no  more 
sad." 


12  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL. 

Is  not  this  whole  history  just  hke  one  of  the  Psalms, 
expressed  not  in  words  but  in  deeds  ?  First  the  wail 
of  distress  ;  then  the  wrestling  of  the  troubled  heart 
with  God ;  then  the  repose  and  triumph  of  *  faith. 
What  a  blessing,  amid  the  multitude  of  this  world's 
sorrows,  that  such  a  process  should  be  practicable  I 
What  a  blessed  thing  is  faith,  faith  in  God's  word,  and 
faith  in  God's  heart,  that  faith  which  becomes  a  bridge 
to  the  distressed  from  the  region  of  desolation  and 
misery  to  the  region  of  peace  and  joy  ?  Is  there  any 
fact  more  abundantly  verified  than  this  experience  is 
— this  passage  out  of  the  depths,  this  way  of  shaking 
one's  self  from  the  dust,  and  patting  on  the  garments 
of  praise  ?  Are  any  of  you  tired,  worried,  wearied  in 
the  battle  of  Hfe,  and  yet  ignorant  of  this  blessed 
process  ?  Do  any  receive  your  fresh  troubles  v/ith 
nothing  better  than  a  growl  of  irritation — I  will  not 
say  an  angry  curse  ?  Alas  for  your  thorny  expei  ience  I 
an  experience  which  knows  no  way  of  blunting  the 
point  of  the  thorns.  Know,  my  friends,  that  in  Gilead 
there  is  a  balm  for  soothing  these  bitter  irritations. 
There  is  a  peace  of  God  that  passeth  all  understanding, 
and  that  keeps  the  hearts  and  minds  of  His  people 
through  Christ  Jesus.  '*  Thou  wilt  keep  him  in 
perfect  peace  whose  mind  is  stayed  on  Thee,  because 
he  trusteth  in  Thee." 

But  let  those  who  profess  to  be  Christ's  see  that  they 
are  consistent  here.  A  fretful,  com.plaining  Christian  is 
a  contradiction  in  terms.  How  unlike  to  Christ  1  How 
forgetful  such  a  one  is  of  the  grand  argument,  "  He 
that  spared  not  His  own  Son,  but  delivered  Him  up  for 
us  all,  how  shall  He  not  with  Him  also  freely  give  us 
all  things  ?  "  "  Be  patient,  brethren,  for  the  coming  of 
the  Lord  draweth  near."     Amid  the  agitations  of  life 


i.  1-18.]  HANNAH'S  TRIAL   AND   TRUST,  I3 

often  steal  away  to  the  green  pastures  and  the  still 
waters,  and  they  will  calm  your  soul.  And  while 
"  the  trial  of  your  faith  is  much  more  precious  than  of 
gold  that  perisheth,  although  it  be  tried  with  fire,"  it 
shall  be  *' found  unto  praise  and  honour  and  glory  at 
the  appearing  of  Jesus  Christ" 


CHAPTER   II. 

HANNAH'S  FAITH  REWARDED, 
I  Samuel  i.  19—28. 

IN  all  the  transactions  recorded  in  these  verse i^ 
W2  see  in  Hannah  the  directing  and  regulating 
power  of  the  family  ;  while  Elkanah  appears  acquiescing 
cordially  in  all  that  she  proposes,  and  devoutly  second- 
ing her  great  act  of  consecration, — the  surrender  of 
Samuel  to  the  perpetual  service  of  God.  For  a  moment 
it  might  be  thought  that  Hannah  assumed  a  place  that 
hardly  belonged  to  her;  that  she  became  the  leader 
and  director  in  the  house,  while  her  proper  position 
was  that  of  a  helpmeet  to  her  husband.  We  are  con- 
strained, however,  to  dismiss  this  thought,  for  it  does 
not  fit  in  to  the  character  of  Hannah,  and  it  is  not  in 
keeping  with  the  general  tone  of  the  passage.  There 
are  two  reasons  that  account  sufficiently  for  the  part 
she  took.  In  the  first  place,  it  was  she  that  had  dealt 
with  God  in  the  matter,  and  it  was  with  her  too  that 
God  had  dealt.  She  had  been  God-directed  in  the 
earher  part  of  the  transaction,  and  therefore  was 
specially  able  to  see  what  was  right  and  proper  to  be 
done  in  following  u-p  God's  remarkable  acknowledgment 
and  answer  of  her  prayer.  The  course  to  be  taken 
came  to  her  as  an  intuition, — an  intuition  not  to  be 
reasoned  about,  not  to  be  exposed  to  the  criticism  of 
another,  to  be  simply  accepted  and   obeyed.     As   she 


L  19-28.]  HANNAH'S  FAITH  REWARDED,  15 


gave  no  heed  to  those  impulses  of  her  own  heart  that 
might  have  desired  a  different  destination  for  her  child, 
so  she  was  disposed  to  give  none  to  the  impulses  of 
any  other.  The  name,  and  the  training,  and  the  life- 
work  of  a  child  given  so  remarkably  were  all  clear  as 
sunbeams  to  her  godly  heart ;  and  in  such  a  matter  it 
would  have  been  nothing  but  weakness  to  confer  with 
flesh  and  blood. 

And  in  the  second  place,  Elkanah  could  be  in  no 
humour  to  resist  his  wife,  even  if  he  had  had  any  reason 
to  do  so.  For  he  was  in  a  manner  reproved  of  God 
for  not  being  more  concerned  about  her  sadness  of 
spirit.  God  had  treated  her  sorrow  more  seriously 
than  he  had.  God  had  not  said  to  her  that  her  husband 
was  better  to  her  than  ten  sons.  God  had  recognised 
the  hunger  of  her  heart  for  a  son  as  a  legitimate  craving, 
and  when  she  brought  her  wish  to  Him,  and  meekly 
and  humbly  asked  Him  to  fulfil  it,  He  had  heard  her 
prayer,  and  granted  her  request.  In  a  sense  Hannah, 
in  the  depth  of  her  sorrow,  had  appealed  from  her 
husband  to  a  higher  court,  and  the  appeal  had  been 
decided  in  her  favour.  Elkanah  could  not  but  feel 
that  in  faith,  in  lofty  principle,  in  nearness  of  fellow- 
ship with  God,  he  had  been  surpassed  by  his  wife. 
It  was  no  wonder  he  surrendered  to  her  the  future 
direction  of  a  life  given  thus  in  answer  to  her  prayers. 
Yet  in  thus  surrendering  his  right  he  showed  no 
sullenness  of  temper,  but  acted  in  harmony  with  her, 
not  only  in  naming  and  dedicating  the  child,  but  in 
taking  a  vow  on  himself,  and  at  the  proper  moment 
fulfilling  that  vow.  The  three  bullocks,  with  the  ephah 
of  flour  and  the  bottle  of  wine  brought  to  Shiloh  when 
the  child  was  presented  to  the  Lord,  were  probably  the 
fulfilment  of  Elkanah's  vow. 


l6  TL'E  FIRST  BOOK  OP  SAMUEL-. 


But  to  come  more  particularly  to  what  is  recorded  in 
the  text. 

I.  We  notice,  first,  the  fact  of  the  answer  to  prayer. 
The  answer  was  prompt,  clear,  explicit.  It  is  an 
important  question,  Why  are  some  prayers  answered 
and  not  others  ?  Many  a  good  man  and  woman  feel 
it  to  be  the  greatest  trial  that  their  prayers  for  definite 
objects  are  not  answered.  Many  a  mother  will  say, 
Why  did  God  not  answer  me  when  I  prayed  Him  to 
spare  my  infant's  life  ?  I  am  sure  I  prayed  with  my 
whole  heart  and  soul,  but  it  seemed  to  make  no  differ- 
ence, the  child  sank  and  died  just  as  if  no  one  had 
biien  praying  for  him.  Many  a  wife  will  say.  Why 
d  Des  God  not  convert  my  husband  ?  I  have  agonized, 
J  have  wept  and  made  supplication  on  his  behalf,  and 
in  particular,  with  reference  to  his  besetting  infirmity, 
I  have  implored  God  to  break  his  chain  and  set  him 
free ;  but  there  he  is,  the  same  as  ever.  Many  a  young 
person  under  serious  impressions  will  say.  Why  does 
God  not  hear  my  pra3^er?  I  have  prayed  with  heart 
and  soul  for  faith  and  love,  for  peace  in  believing,  for 
consciousness  of  my  interest  in  Christ ;  but  my  prayers 
seem  directed  against  a  wall  of  brass,  they  seem  never 
to  reach  the  ears  of  the  Lord  of  hosts.  In  spite  of  all 
such  objections  and  difficulties,  we  maintain  that  God 
is  the  hearer  of  prayer.  Every  sincere  prayer  offered 
in  the  name  of  Christ  is  heard,  and  dealt  with  by  God 
in  such  way  as  seems  good  to  Him.  There  are  good 
reasons  why  some  prayers  are  not  answered  at  all,  and 
there  are  also  good  reasons  why  the  visible  answer 
to  some  prayers  is  delayed.  Some  prayers  are  not 
answered  because  the  spirit  of  them  is  bad.  *'  Ye  ask 
but  receive  not  becai  se  ye  ask  amiss,  that  ye  may 
consume  it  upon  your  lusts."     What  is  asked  merel)? 


i.  19-28.]  HANNAH'S  FAITH  REWARDED.  17 


to  gratify  a  selfish  feeling  is  asked  amiss.  It  is  not 
holy  prayer ;  it  does  not  fit  in  with  the  sacred  purposes 
of  life;  it  is  not  asked  to  make  us  better,  or  enable 
us  to  serve  God  better,  or  make  our  life  more  useful 
to  our  fellows ;  but  simply  to  increase  our  pleasure,  to 
make  our  surroundings  more  agreeable.  Some  prayers 
are  not  answered  because  what  is  asked  would  be  hurt- 
ful ;  the  prayer  is  answered  in  spirit  though  denied  in 
form.  A  Christian  lady,  over  the  sick  bed  of  an  only 
son,  once  prayed  with  intense  fervour  that  he  might  be 
restored,  and  positively  refused  to  say,  "  Thy  will  be 
done."  Falling  asleep,  she  seemed  to  see  a  panorama 
of  her  son's  life  had  he  survived  ;  it  was  a  succession 
of  sorrows,  rising  into  terrible  agonies, — so  pitiful  a 
sight  that  she  could  no  longer  desire  his  life  to  be 
prolonged,  and  gave  up  the  battle  against  the  v/ill  of 
God.  Som.e  prayers  are  not  answered  at  the  time, 
because  a  discipline  of  patience  is  needed  for  those  who 
offer  them  ;  they  have  to  be  taught  the  grace  of  waiting 
patiently  for  the  Lord  ;  they  have  to  learn  more  fully 
than  hitherto  to  walk  by  faith,  not  by  sight ;  they  have 
to  learn  to  take  the  promise  of  God  against  all  appear- 
ances, and  to  remember  that  heaven  and  earth  shall 
pass  away,  but  God's  word  shall  not  pass  away. 

But  v/hatever  be  the  reasons  for  the  apparent  silence 
of  God,  we  may  rest  assured  that  hearing  prayer  is 
the  law  of  His  kingdom.  Old  Testament  and  New 
alike  bear  v\^itness  to  this.  Every  verse  of  the  Psalms 
proclaims  it.  Alike  by  precept  and  example  our  Lord 
constantly  enforced  it.  Every  Apostle  takes  up  the 
theme,  and  urges  the  duty  and  the  privilege.  We  may 
say  of  prayer  as  St.  Paul  said  of  the  resurrection — if 
prayer  be  not  heard  our  preaching  is  vain,  and  your 
faith  is  vain.     And  what  true  Christian  is  there  who 

VOL.    I.  2 


i8  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL 

cannot  add  testimonies  from  his  own  history  to  the 
same  effect  ?  If  the  answer  to  some  of  your  prayers 
be  delayed,  has  it  not  come  to  many  of  them  ?  Come, 
too,  very  conspicuously,  so  that  you  were  amazed,  and 
almost  awed  ?  And  if  there  be  prayers  that  have  not 
yet  been  answered,  or  in  reference  to  w^hich  you  have 
no  knowledge  of  an  answer,  can  you  not  afford  to 
wait  till  God  gives  the  explanation  ?  And  when  ttie 
explanation  comes,  have  you  not  much  cause  to  believe 
that  it  will  redound  to  the  praise  of  God,  and  that 
many  things,  in  reference  to  which  you  could  at  the 
time  see  nothing  but  what  was  dark  and  terrible,  may 
turn  out  when  fully  explained  to  furnish  new  and  over- 
whelming testimony  that  "  God  is  love  ?  " 

2.  The  next  point  is  the  name  given  by  Hannah  to 
her  son.  The  name  Samuel,  in  its  literal  import,  does 
not  mean  '^  asked  of  the  Lord,"  but  *'  heard  of  the 
Lord."  The  reason  assigned  by  Hannah  for  giving  this 
name  to  her  son  is  not  an  explanation  of  the  word, 
but  a  reference  to  the  circumstances.  In  point  of  fact, 
**  heard  of  the  Lord  "  is  more  expressive  than  even 
*'  asked  of  the  Lord,"  because  it  was  God's  hearing  (ir, 
a  favourable  sense),  more  than  Hannah's  asking,  thai 
was  the  decisive  point  in  the  transaction.  Still,  as  far 
as  Hannah  was  concerned,  he  was  asked  of  the  Lord. 
The  name  was  designed  to  be  a  perpetual  memorial  of 
the  circumstances  of  his  birth.  For  the  good  of  the 
child  himself,  and  for  the  instruction  of  all  that  might 
come  in  contact  with  him,  it  was  designed  to  perpetuate 
the  fact  that  before  his  birth  a  solemn  transaction  in 
prayer  took  place  between  his  mother  and  the  Almighty. 
The  very  existence  of  this  child  was  a  perpetual  wit- 
ness, first  of  all  of  the  truth  that  God  exists,  and  then 
of  the   truth  that  He  is  a  prayer-hearing  God.     The 


1.19-28.  IIANNAIVS  FAITH  REWARDED.  19 

very  name  of  this  child  is  a  rebuke  to  thosp  parents 
who  never  think  of  God  in  connection  wiih  their 
children,  who  never  thank  God  for  giving  them,  nor 
think  of  what  He  would  like  in  their  education  and 
training.  Even  where  no  such  special  transaction  by 
prayer  has  taken  place  as  in  the  case  of  Samuel's 
mother,  children  are  to  be  regarded  as  sacred  gifts  of 
God.  "  Lo,  children  are  the  heritage  of  the  Lord,  and 
the  fruit  of  the  womb  is  His  reward."  Many  a  child 
has  had  the  name  Samuel  given  him  since  these  distant 
days  in  Judaea  under  the  influence  of  this  feeling. 
Many  a  parent  has  felt  what  a  solemn  thing  it  is  to 
receive  from  God's  hands  an  immortal  creature,  that*^ 
may  become  either  an  angel  or  a  devil,  and  to  be 
entrusted  with  the  first  stage  of  a  life  that  may  spread 
desolation  and  misery  on  the  one  hand,  or  joy  and 
blessing  wherever  its  influence  reaches.  Do  not  treat 
lightl}'^,  O  parents,  the  connection  between  God  and 
your  children !  Cherish  the  thought  that  they  are 
God's  gifts,  God's  heritage  to  you,  committed  by  Him 
to  you  to  bring  up,  but  not  apart  from  Him,  not  in 
separation  from  those  holy  influences  which  He  alone 
can  impart,  and  which  He  is  willing  to  impart.  What 
a  cruel  thing  it  is  to  cut  this  early  connection  between 
them  and  God,  and  send  them  drifting  through  the 
world  hke  a  ship  with  a  forsaken  rudder,  that  flaps 
hither  and  thither  with  every  current  of  the  sea  1  What 
a  blessed  thing  when,  above  all  things,  the  grace  and 
blessing  of  God  are  sought  by  parents  for  their  children, 
when  all  the  earnest  lessons  of  childhood  are  directed 
to  this  end,  and  before  childhood  has  passed  into  youth 
the  grace  of  God  rules  the  young  heart,  and  the  hoi) 
purpose  is  formed  to  live  in  His  fear  through  Jesu^ 
Chiist,  and  to  honour  Him  for  evermore  1 


20  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SA^fUEL, 

3.  Hannah's  arrangements  for  the  child.  From  the 
very  first  she  had  decided  that  at  the  eadiest  possible 
period  he  should  be  placed  under  the  high  priest  at 
Shiloh.  Hannah's  fulfilment  of  her  vow  was  to  be 
an  ample,  prompt,  honourable  fulfilment.  Many  a  one 
who  makes  vows  or  resolutions  under  the  pressure  and 
pinch  of  distress  immediately  begins  to  pare  them 
down  when  the  pinch  is  removed,  like  the  merchant  in 
the  storm  who  vowed  a  hecatomb  to  Jupiter,  then 
reduced  the  hecatomb  to  a  single  bullock,  the  bullock 
to  a  sheep,  the  sheep  to  a  few  dates ;  but  even  these  he 
ate  on  the  way  to  the  altar,  laying  on  it  only  the  stones. 
Not  one  jot  would  Hannah  abate  of  the  full  sweep  and 
compass  of  her  vow.  She  would  keep  the  child  by 
her  only  till  he  was  weaned,  and  then  he  should  be 
presented  at  Shiloh.  It  is  said  that  Jewish  mothers 
sometimes  suckled  their  children  to  the  age  of  three 
years,  and  this  was  probably  little  Samuel's  age  when 
he  was  taken  to  Shiloh.  Meanwhile,  she  resolved  that 
till  that  time  was  reached  she  would  not  go  up  to  the 
feast.  Had  she  gone  befjre  her  son  was  weaned  she 
must  have  taken  him  with  her,  and  brought  him  away 
with  her,  and  that  would  have  broken  the  solemnity  of 
the  transaction  Vv'hen  at  last  she  should  take  him  for 
good  and  all.  No.  The  very  first  visit  that  she  and  her 
son  should  pay  to  Shiloh  v*^ouid  be  the  decisive  visit. 
The  very  first  tim.e  that  she  should  present  herself  at 
that  holy  place  where  God  had  heard  her  prayer  and 
her  vow  would  be  the  time  when  she  should  fulfil  her 
vow.  The  fiist  time  that  she  should  remind  the  high 
priest  of  their  old  interview  would  be  when  she  came 
to  offer  to  God's  perpetual  service  the  answer  to  her 
prayer  and  the  fruit  of  her  vow.  To  miss  the  feast 
would  be  a  privation,  it  might  even  be  a  spiritual  loss, 


i.  19-28.]  HANNAH'S  FAITH  REWARDED. 


but  shn  had  in  her  son  that  which  itself  was  a  means 
of  grace  to  her,  and  a  blessed  link  to  God  and  heaven  ; 
while  she  remained  with  him  God  would  still  remain 
with  her ;  and  in  prayer  for  him,  and  the  people  whom 
he  might  one  day  influence,  her  heart  might  be  as  much 
enlarged  and  warmed  as  if  she  were  mingling  with  the 
thousands  of  Israel,  amid  the  holy  excitement  of  the 
great  national  feast. 

4.  Elkanah's  offering  at  Shiloh.  When  Elkanah 
heard  his  w^ife's  plan  with  reference  to  Samuel,  he 
simply  acquiesced,  bade  her  remain  at  Shiloh,  ''onl}' 
the  Lord  establish  His  word."  What  word  ?  Literally, 
the  Lord  had  spoken  no  word  about  Samuel,  unless 
the  word  of  Eli  to  Hannah  "  The  God  of  Israel  grant 
thee  thy  petition  that  thou  hast  asked  of  Him  "  could 
be  regarded  as  a  word  from  God.  That  word,  how- 
ever, had  already  been  fulfilled  ;  and  Elkanah's  prayer 
meant,  The  Lord  bring  to  pass  those  further  blessings 
of  which  the  birth  of  Samuel  was  the  promise  and 
the  prelude  ;  the  Lord  accept,  in  due  time,  the  offering 
of  this  child  to  His  service,  and  grant  that  out  of  that 
offering  there  may  come  to  Israel  all  the  good  that  it 
is  capable  of  yielding. 

The  cordiality  with  which  Elkanah  accepted  his  wife's 
view  of  the  case  is  seen  further  in  the  ample  offering 
which  he  took  to  Shiloh — three  bullocks,  an  ephah  of 
flour,  and  a  bottle  of  wine.  One  bullock  would  have 
sufficed  as  a  burnt-offering  for  the  child  now  given  for 
the  service  of  God,  and  in  ver.  25  special  mention  is 
made  of  one  being  slain.  The  other  two  were  added  to 
mark  the  speciaHty  of  the  occasion,  to  make  the  offering, 
so  to  speak,  round  and  complete,  to  testify  the  ungrudg- 
ing cordiality  with  which  the  whole  transaction  was 
entered  into.     One  might  perhaps  have  thought  that  in 


22  THE  FIRST  BOOK    OF  SAMUEL, 

connection  with  such  a  service  there  was  hardly  any 
need  of  a  bloody  sacrifice.  A  little  child  of  two  or  three 
years  old — the  very  type  and  picture  of  innocence — 
surely  needed  little  in  the  way  of  expiation.  Not  so, 
however,  the  view  of  the  law  of  Moses.  Even  a  new- 
born infant  could  not  be  presented  to  the  Lord  without 
some  symbol  of  expiation.  There  is  such  a  virus  of 
corruption  in  every  human  soul  that  not  even  infants 
can  be  brought  to  God  for  acceptance  and  blessing 
without  a  token  of  atonement.  Sin  has  so  separated 
the  whole  race  from  God,  that  not  one  member  of  it 
can  be  brought  near,  can  be  brought  into  the  region 
of  benediction,  without  shedding  of  blood.  And  if  no 
member  of  it  can  be  even  accepted  without  atonement, 
much  less  can  any  be  taken  to  be  God's  servant,  taken  to 
stand  before  Him,  to  represent  Him,  to  be  His  organ  to 
others,  to  speak  in  His  name.  What  a  solemn  truth 
for  all  who  desire  to  be  employed  in  the  public  service 
of  Jesus  Christ  !  Remember  how  unworthy  yoM  are 
to  stand  before  him.  Remember  how  stained  your 
garments  are  with  sin  and  worldliness,  how  distracted 
your  heart  is  with  other  thoughts  and  feelings,  how 
poor  the  service  is  you  are  capable  of  rendering.  Re- 
member how  gloriously  Jesus  is  served  by  the  angels 
that  excel  in  strength,  that  do  His  commandments, 
hearkening  to  the  voice  of  His  word.  And  w^hen  you 
give  yourselves  to  Him,  or  ask  to  be  allowed  to  take 
your  place  among  His  servants,  seek  as  you  do  so  to 
be  sprinkled  with  the  blood  of  cleansing,  own  your 
personal  unw^orthiness,  and  pray  to  be  accepted  through 
the  merit  of  His  sacrifice  ! 

5.  And  now,  the  bullock  being  slain,  they  bring  the 
child  to  Eli.  Ha.mah  is  the  speaker,  and  her  words 
are  few   and   well  chosen.     She  reminds   Eli  of  what 


i.  19-28.]  HANNAH'S  FAITII  REWARDED.  aj 

she  had  done  the  last  time  slie  was  there.  Generous 
and  courteous,  she  makes  no  aUusion  to  anything  un- 
pleasant that  had  passed  between  them.  Small  matters 
of  that  sort  are  absorbed  in  the  solemnity  and  im- 
portance of  the  transaction.  In  her  words  to  Eli  she 
touches  briefly  on  the  past,  the  present,  and  the  future. 
What  occurred  in  the  past  was,  that  she  stood  there  a 
few  years  ago  praying  unto  the  Lord.  What  was  true 
of  the  present  was,  that  the  Lord  had  granted  her 
petition,  and  given  her  this  child  for  whom  she  had 
prayed.  And  what  was  going  to  happen  in  the  future 
was  (as  the  Revised  Version  has  it),  '*  I  have  granted 
him  to  the  Lord  ;  as  long  as  he  liveth  he  is  granted  to 
the  Lord." 

It  is  interesting  to  remark  that  no  word  of  Eli's  is 
introduced.  This  Nazarite  child  is  accepted  for  the 
perpetual  service  of  God  at  once  and  without  remark. 
No  remonstrance  is  made  on  the  score  of  his  tender 
years.  No  doubt  is  insinuated  as  to  how  he  may  turn 
out.  If  Samuel's  family  was  a  Levitical  one,  he  would 
have  been  entitled  to  take  part  in  the  service  of  God, 
but  only  occasionally,  and  at  the  Levitical  age.  But 
his  mother  brings  him  to  the  Lord  long  before  the 
Levitical  age,  and  leaves  him  at  Shiloh,  bound  over  to 
a  lifelong  service.  How  was  she  able  to  do  it  ?  For 
three  years  that  child  had  been  her  constant  companion, 
had  lain  in  her  bosom,  had  warmed  her  heart  with  his 
smiles,  had  amused  her  with  his  prattle,  had  charmed 
her  with  all  his  engaging  little  ways.  How  was  she 
able  to  part  with  him  'i  Would  he  not  miss  her  too  as 
much  as  she  would  miss  him  ?  Shiloh  was  not  a  very 
attractive  place,  Eli  was  old  and  feeble,  Hophni  and 
Phinehas  were  beasts,  the  atmosphere  was  offensive 
and  pernicious.     Nevertheless,  it  was  God's  house,  and 


24  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL, 

if  a  little  child  should  be  brought  to  it,  capable  of 
rendering  to  God  real  service,  God  would  take  care 
of  the  child.  Already  he  was  God's  child.  Asked  of 
God,  and  heard  of  God,  he  bore  already  the  mark  of 
his  Master.  God  would  be  with  him,  as  He  had  been 
with  Joseph,  as  He  had  been  with  Moses — "  He  shall 
call  on  Me,  and  I  will  answer  him ;  I  will  be  Avith 
him  in  trouble,  I  will  be  with  him  and  honour  him." 

Noble  in  her  spirit  of  endurance  in  the  time  of  trial, 
Hannah  is  still  more  noble  in  the  spirit  of  self-denial  in 
the  time  of  prosperity.  It  was  no  common  grace  that 
could  so  completely  sacrifice  all  her  personal  feelings, 
and  so  thoroughly  honour  God.  What  a  rebuke  to 
those  parents  that  keep  back  their  children  from  God's 
service,  that  will  not  part  with  their  sons  to  be  mis- 
sionaries, that  look  on  the  ministry  of  the  Gospel  as 
but  a  poor  occupation !  What  a  rebuke,  too,  to  many 
Christian  men  and  women  who  are  so  unwilling  to 
commit  themselves  openly  to  any  form  of  Christian 
service, — unwilHng  to  be  identified  with  religious  work  ! 
Yet,  on  the  other  hand,  let  us  rejoice  that  in  this  our 
age,  more  perhaps  than  in  any  other,  so  many  are 
willing,  nay  eager,  for  Christian  service.  Let  us  rejoice 
that  both  among  young  men  and  young  women  recruits 
for  the  mission-field  are  offering  themselves  in  such 
numbers.  After  all,  it  is  true  wisdom,  and  true  policy, 
although  not  done  as  a  matter  of  policy.  It  will  yield 
far  the  greatest  satisfaction  in  the  end.  God  is  not 
unrighteous  to  forget  the  work  and  labour  of  love  of  His 
children.  And  **  every  one  that  hath  forsaken  houses, 
or  brethren,  or  sisters,  or  father,  or  mother,  or  wife,  or 
children,  or  lands  for  My  name's  sake,  shall  receive  an 
hundredfold,  and  shall  inherit  everlasting  life." 


CHAPTER   III. 

HANNAH'S  SONG  OF  THANKSGIVING, 
I  Samuel  ii.  i-io. 

THE  emotion  that  filled  Hannah's  breast  after  she 
had  granted  Samuel  to  the  Lord,  and  left  him 
settled  at  Shiloh,  was  one  of  triumphant  joy.  In  her 
song  we  see  no  trace  of  depression,  like  that  of  a 
bereaved  and  desolate  mother.  Some  may  be  disposed 
to  think  less  of  Hannah  on  this  account;  they  may 
think  she  would  have  been  more  of  a  true  mother  if 
something  of  human  regret  had  been  apparent  in  her 
song.  But  surely  we  ought  not  to  blame  her  if  the 
Divine  emotion  that  so  completely  filled  her  soul  ex- 
cluded for  the  time  every  ordinary  feeling.  In  the  very 
first  words  of  her  song  we  see  how  closely  God  was 
connected  with  the  emotions  that  swelled  in  her  breast. 
"  My  heart  rejoiceth  in  the  Lord,  mine  horn  is  exalted 
in  the  Lord"  The  feeling  that  was  so  rapturous  was 
the  sense  of  God's  gracious  owning  of  her  ;  His  taking 
her  into  partnership,  so  to  speak,  with  Himself;  His 
accepting  of  her  son  as  an  instrument  for  carrying  out 
His  gracious  purposes  to  Israel  and  the  world.  Only 
those  who  have  experienced  it  can  understand  the  over- 
whelming blessedness  of  this  feeling.  That  the  infinite 
God  should  draw  near  to  His  sinful  creature,  and  not 
only  accept  him,  but  identify  Himself  with  him,  as  it 


26  THE  IIKST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL. 

were,  taking  him  and  those  dearest  to  iiim  into  His 
confidence;  and  using  them  to  carry  out  His  plans,  is 
something  almost  too  wonderful  for  the  human  spirit  to 
bear.  This  was  Hannah's  feeling,  as  it  afterwards  was 
that  of  Elizabeth,  and  still  more  of  the  Virgin  Mary, 
and  it  is  no  wonder  that  their  songs,  which  bear  a  close 
resemblance  to  each  other,  sliould  have  been  used  by 
the  Christian  Church  to  express  the  very  highest  degree 
of  thankfulness. 

The  emotion  of  Hannah  was  intensified  by  another 
consideration.  What  had  taken  place  in  her  experience 
was  not  the  only  thing  of  this  kind  that  had  evei 
happened  or  that  ever  was  to  happen.  On  the  contrary, 
it  was  the  outcome  of  a  great  law  of  God's  kingdom, 
which  law  regulated  the  ordinary  procedure  of  His 
providence.  Hannah's  heart  was  enlarged  as  she 
thought  how  many  others  had  shared  or  would  share 
what  had  befallen  her;  as  she  thought  hov^^  such  pride 
and  arrogance  as  that  which  had  tormented  her  was 
doomed  to  be  rebuked  and  brought  low  under  God's 
government ;  how  many  lowly  souls  that  brought  their 
burden  to  Him  were  to  be  relieved  ;  and  how  many 
empty  and  hungry  hearts,  pining  for  food  and  rest, 
were  to  find  how  He  "  satisfieth  the  longing  soul,  and 
filleth  the  hungry  soul  with  goodness  " 

But  it  would  seem  that  her  thoughts  took  a  still 
wider  sweep.  Looking  on  herself  as  representing  the 
nation  of  Israel,  she  seems  to  have  felt  that  what  had 
happened  to  her  on  a  small  scale  was  to  happen  to  the 
nation  on  a  large;  for  God  would  draw  nigh  to  Israel 
as  He  had  to  her,  make  him  His  friend  and  confidential 
servant,  humble  the  proud  and  maHgnant  nations  around 
him,  and  exalt  him,  if  only  he  endeavoured  humbly  and 
thankfully  to  comply  with  the  Divine  will.     Is  it  possible 


a,  ..,0.1     HAmAH'S  SO.XG  OF  THANKSCiyiNG^^__  J7 

the  Ho!y  Spirit  have  given  her  a  ghmpse  of  the  great 
ruth-^Unto  us  a  child  is  born,  unto  us  a  son  .s  g>ven   ? 
May  she  not  have  surmised  that  it  was  to  be  through 
Te  born  in  the  same  land  that  the  great  redemption 
was  to  be  achieved?     May  she  not  have  seen  .n  her 
Utrte  Samuel  the  type  and  symbol  of  another  Child  to 
be  more  wonderfully  born  than  hers,  to  be  dedicated  to 
GoTservice  in  a  hfgher  sense,  to  fulfil  al,  "gHteousness 
f,r  bevond  anything   in  Samuel's  power?     And  may 
"not  tirhigh  themercarrying  her  far  into  future  times, 
carrv   '<.  b^r  on  to  the  end  of  the  world's  history  bearing 
her  uneven  to   eternity  and   infinity,  have   been  the 
cause   of  that   utter   absence   of   human    regret    that 
apparent  want   of  motherly  heart-sinking,  which   we 

"  Whin  t  el"mL  the  substance  of  the  song  more 
carefully,  we  find  that  Hannah  derives  her  joy  from 
four  things  about  God  :-i.  His  nature  (vv.  2-3)  ,  2- 
His  provLntial  government  (vv.  4-8);  3-  H.s  mos 
gr"  ious  treatment  of  His  saints  (v.  9)  ;  4.  The  glorious 
destiny  of  the  kingdom  of  His  anointed. 

,  In  the  second  and  third  verses  we  find  comfor 
de  wed  from  (i)  God's  holiness,  (2)  His  unity,  (3)  His 
streneth,  (4)  His  knowledge,  and  (5)  H.s  justice. 
^'^f'v'^:Xl^ness,  the  spotlessness  of  God  is  a  source 
^Mon  -"  There  is  none  holy  as  the  Lord.  To  the 
wic  Td  his  attribute  is  no  comfort,  but  only  a  terror. 
!eft  to  themselves,  men  take  away  this  attribute  and 
like  the  Greeks  and  Romans  and  other  pagans,  ascribe 
to  their  gods  the  lusts  and  passions  of  poor  human 

"elves'  Yet  to  those  who  -'-PP-^rrkneTs 
blessed  a  thing  is  the  holiness  of  God  !  N°  tartness 
in  Him.  no  corruption,  no  infirmity;  absolutely  pure, 


28  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL. 

He  governs  all  on  the  principles  of  absolute  purity ; 
He  keeps  all  up,  even  in  a  sinful,  crumbling  world,  to 
that  high  standard ;  and  when  His  schemes  are  com- 
pleted, the  blessed  outcome  will  be  ^'  the  new  heavens 
and  the  new  earth,  wherein  dwelleth  righteousness." 

(2)  His  unity  gives  comfort, — "  There  is  none  besides 
Thee."  None  to  thwart  His  righteous  and  gracious 
plans,  or  make  those  to  tremble  whose  trust  is  placed 
in  Him.  He  doeth  according  to  His  will  in  the  army 
of  heaven  and  among  the  inhabitants  of  the  earth ; 
and  none  can  stay  His  hand,  or  say  unto  Him,  "  What 
doest  Thou  ?  " 

(3)  His  strength  gives  comfort, — "  Neither  is  there 
any  rock  like  our  God."  ''  If  God  be  for  us,  who  can 
be  against  us  ?  "  '*  Hast  thou  not  known,  hast  thou 
not  heard,  that  the  everlasting  God,  the  Lord,  the 
Creator  of  the  ends  of  the  earth,  fainteth  not,  nor  is 
weary  ?  There  is  no  searching  of  His  understanding  ? 
He  giveth  power  to  the  faint,  and  to  them  that  have 
no  might  He  increaseth  strength.  Even  the  youths 
shall  faint  and  be  weary,  and  the  young  men  shall 
utterly  fall ;  but  they  that  wait  on  the  Lord  shall 
renew  their  strength;  they  shall  mount  up  with  wings 
as  eagles ;  they  shall  run  and  not  be  weary,  and  they 
shall  walk  and  not  faint." 

(4)  His  knowledge  gives  comfort, — "  The  Lord  is 
a  God  of  knowledge."  He  sees  all  secret  wickedness, 
and  knows  how  to  deal  with  it.  His  eye  is  on  every 
plot  hatched  in  the  darkness.  He  knows  His  faithful 
servants,  what  they  aim  at,  what  they  suffer,  what  a 
strain  is  often  put  on  their  fidelity.  And  He  never 
can  forget  them,  and  never  can  desert  them,  for  "  the 
angel  of  the  Lord  encampeth  about  them  that  fear  Him, 
and  delivereth  them," 


ii.  i-io.]     HANNAirS  SL'NG   OF  THANKSGIVING,  29 

(5)  W\i  justice  gives  comfort.  ''By  Him  actions 
are  weighed."  Their  true  quality  is  ascertained  ;  what 
is  done  for  mean,  selfish  ends  stands  out  before  Him 
in  all  its  native  ugliness,  and  drav/s  down  the  retribu- 
tion that  is  meet.  Men  may  perform  the  outward 
services  of  religion  with  great  regularity  and  apparent 
zeal,  while  their  hearts  are  full  of  all  uncleanness  and 
wickedness.  The  hypocrite  ma}'-  rise  to  honour,  the 
thief  may  become  rich,  men  that  prey  upon  the  infir- 
mities or  the  simplicity  of  their  fellows  may  prosper ; 
but  there  is  a  God  in  heaven  by  Whom  all  evil  devices 
are  w^eighed,  and  Who  in  His  own  time  w^ill  efi^ectually 
checkmate  all  that  either  deny  His  existence  or  fancy 
they  can  elude  His  righteous  judgment. 

2.  These  views  of  God's  holy  government  are  more 
fully  enlarged  on  in  the  second  part  of  the  song  (vv. 
3-8).  The  main  feature  of  God's  providence  dwelt 
on  here  is  the  changes  that  occur  in  the  lot  of  certain 
classes.  The  class  against  whom  God's  providence 
bears  chiefly  is  the  haughty,  the  self-sufficient,  the  men 
of  physical  might  who  are  ready  to  use  that  might  to 
the  injury  of  others.  Those  again  who  lie  in  the  path 
of  God's  mercies  are  the  weak,  the  hungry,  the  child- 
less, the  beggar.  Hannah  uses  a  variety  of  figures. 
Now  it  is  from  the  profession  of  soldiers — "  the  bows  of 
the  mighty  are  broken  "  ;  and  on  the  other  hand  they  that 
for  very  weakness  were  stumbling  and  staggering  are 
girded  with  strength.  Now  it  is  from  the  appetite  for 
food — they  that  were  full  have  had  to  hire  out  them- 
selves for  bread,  and  they  that  were  hungry  are  hungry 
no  more.  Now  it  is  from  family  life,  and  from  a  feature 
of  family  life  that  came  home  to  Hannah — "  the  barren 
liath  borne  seven,  and  she  that  had  many  children  is 
waxed  feeble."     And  these    changes  are  the  doing  of 


30  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL. 

God,  "The  Lord  killeili  and  maketli  alive  ;  He  bringeth 
down  to  the  grave  and  bringeth  up.  The  Lord  maketh 
poor  and  maketh  rich,  He  bringeth  low  and  lifteth  up. 
He  raiseth  up  the  poor  out  of  the  dust,  and  lifteth  up 
the  beggar  from  the  dunghill,  to  set  them  among 
princes,  and  to  make  them  inherit  the  throne  of  glory  ; 
for  the  pillars  of  the  earth  are  the  Lord's,  and  He  hath 
set  the  world  upon  them."  If  nothing  were  taught 
here  but  that  there  are  great  vicissitudes  of  fortune 
among  men,  then  a  lesson  would  come  from  it  alike  to 
high  and  low — let  the  high  beware  lest  they  glory  in 
their  fortune,  let  the  low  not  sink  into  dejection  and 
despair.  If  it  be  further  borne  in  mind  that  these 
changes  of  fortune  are  all  in  the  hands  of  God,  a  further 
lesson  arises,  to  beware  how  we  offend  God,  and  to  live 
in  the  earnest  desire  to  enjoy  His  favour.  But  there  is 
a  further  lesson.  The  class  of  qualities  that  are  here 
marked  as  offensive  to  God  are  pride,  self-seeking,  self- 
sufficiency  both  in  ordinary  matters  and  in  their  spiritual 
development.  Your  tyrannical  and  haughty  Pharaohs, 
your  high-vaunting  Sennacheribs,  your  pride-intoxicated 
Nebuchadnezzars,  are  objects  of  special  dislike  to  God. 
So  is  your  proud  Pharisee,  who  goes  up  to  the  temple 
thanking  God  that  he  is  not  as  other  men,  no,  nor  like 
that  poor  publican,  who  is  smiting  on  his  breast,  as 
well  such  a  sinner  may.  It  is  the  lowly  in  heart  that 
God  takes  pleasure  in.  "  Thus  saith  the  high  and 
lofty  One,  that  inhabiteth  eternity,  and  whose  name  is 
Holy  :  I  dwell  in  the  high  and  in  the  holy  place,  but 
with  him  also  that  is  of  a  humble  and  contrite  heart ; 
to  revive  the  spirit  of  the  humble,  and  to  revive  the 
heart  of  the  contrite  one." 

When  we  turn  to  the  song  of  the  Virgin  we  find  the 
same   strain — "  He   hath    showed    strength    with    Hi^ 


{i.l.io]     HANNAH'S  SONG   OF   TUANKLGIVING.  31 

arm,  He  hath  scattered  the  proud  in  the  imagination  of 
their  hearts.  He  hath  put  down  the  mighty  from  their 
seats,  and  exalted  them  of  low  degree.  He  hath  filled 
the  hungry  with  good  things,  and  the  rich  He  hath 
sent  empty  away."  Undoubtedly  these  words  have 
primary  reference  to  the  social  conditions  of  men. 
Thanks  are  given  that  the  highest  privilege  that  God 
could  bestow  on  a  creature  had  been  conferred  not 
on  any  one  rolling  in  luxury,  but  on  a  maiden  of  the 
low^est  class.  This  meaning  does  not  exhaust  the  scope 
of  the  thanksgiving,  which  doubtless  embraces  that  law 
of  the  spiritual  kingdom  to  which  Christ  gave  ex- 
pression in  the  opening  words  of  the  Sermon  on  the 
Mount,  "Blessed  are  the  poor  in  spirit,  for  theirs  is 
the  kingdom  of  heaven."  Yet  it  is  plain  that  both  the 
song  of  Hannah  and  the  song  of  Mary  dw^ell  with 
complacency  on  that  feature  of  providence  by  which 
men  of  low  degree  are  sometimes  exalted,  by  which  the 
beggar  is  sometimes  lifted  from  the  dunghill,  and  set 
among  princes  to  inherit  the  throne  of  glory.  Why 
is  this  ?  Can  God  have  any  sympathy  with  the  spirit 
which  often  prevails  in  the  bosom  of  the  poor  towards 
the  rich,  which  rejoices  in  their  downfall  just  because  they 
are  rich,  and  in  the  elevation  of  others  simply  because 
they  belong  to  the  same  class  with  themselves  ?  The 
thought  is  not  to  be  entertained  for  a  moment.  In 
God's  government  there  is  nothing  partial  or  capricious. 
But  the  principle  is  this.  Riches,  fulness,  luxury  are 
apt  to  breed  pride  and  contempt  of  the  poor ;  and  it 
pleases  God  at  times,  when  such  evil  fruits  appear, 
to  bring  down  these  worthless  rich  men  to  the  dust,  in 
order  to  give  a  conspicuous  rebuke  to  the  vanity,  the 
ambition,  the  remorseless  selfishness  which  were  so 
conspicuous   in   their  character.     What    but  this  was 


32  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMLEL. 

the  lesson  from  the  sudden  fall  of  Cardinal  Wolsey  ? 
Men,  and  even  the  best  of  men,  thanked  God  for  that 
fall.  Not  that  it  gave  them  pleasure  to  see  a  poor 
wretch  who  had  been  clothed  in  purple  and  fine  linen, 
and  fared  sumptuously  every  day,  reduced  to  so  pitiful 
a  plight ;  but  because  they  felt  it  a  righteous  thing 
and  a  wholesome  thing  that  so  proud  and  so  v/ickeJ 
a  career  should  be  terminated  by  a  conspicuous 
manifestation  of  the  displeasure  of  God.  The  best 
instincts  of  men's  nature  longed  for  a  check  to  the 
monstrous  pride  and  wicked  avarice  of  that  man  ;  and 
«vhen  that  check  was  given,  and  given  with  such 
tremendous  emphasis,  there  was  not  an  honest  man 
or  woman  in  all  England  who  did  not  utter  a  hearty 
*'  Praise  God  1 "  when  they  heard  the  terrible  news. 

So  also  it  pleases  God  to  give  conspicuous  proofs 
from  time  to  time  that  qualities  that  in  poor  men  are 
often  associated  with  a  hard-working,  humble  career 
are  well-pleasing  in  His  sight.  For  what  qualities  on 
the  part  of  the  poor  are  so  valuable,  in  a  social  point 
of  view,  as  industry,  self-denying  diligence,  systematic, 
unwearying  devotion  even  to  work  which  brings  them 
such  scanty  remuneration  ?  By  far  the  greater  part 
of  such  men  and  women  are  called  to  work  on,  unnoticed 
and  unrewarded,  and  when  their  day  is  over  to  sink 
into  an  undistinguished  grave.  But  from  time  to  time 
some  such  persons  rise  to  distinction.  The  class  to 
which  they  belong  is  ennobled  by  their  achievements. 
When  God  wished  in  the  sixteenth  century  to  achieve 
the  great  object  of  punishing  the  Church  which  had 
fallen  into  such  miserable  inefficiency  and  immorality, 
and  wrenching  half  of  Europe  from  its  grasp,  he  found 
his  principal  agent  in  a  poor  miner's  cottage  in  Saxony. 
When  he  desired  to  summon  a  sleeping  Church  to  the 


ii.i-ia      HANNAH'S  SONG  OF  THANKSGIVING,  33 

great  work  of  evan^^lhiag  India,  the  iTiin  he  called  to 
the  front  was  Carey,  a  poor  cobbler  of  Northampton. 
When  it  was  his  purpose  to  present  His  Church  with 
an  unrivalled  picture  of  the  Christian  pilgrimage,  its 
dangers  and  trials,  its  joys,  its  sorrows,  and  its  triumphs, 
the  artist  appointed  to  the  task  was  John  Bunyan,  the 
tinker  of  Elstow.  When  the  object  was  to  provide  a 
man  that  would  open  the  great  continent  of  Africa  to 
civilisation  and  Christianity,  and  who  needed,  in  order 
to  do  this,  to  face  dangers  and  trials  before  which  all 
ordinary  men  had  shrunk,  he  found  his  agent  in  a  poor 
spinner-boy,  who  was  working  twelve  hours  a  day  in 
a  cotton  mill  on  the  banks  of  the  Clyde.  In  all  such 
matters,  in  humbling  the  rich  and  exalting  the  poor, 
God's  object  is  not  to  punish  the  one  because  they 
are  rich,  or  to  exalt  the  other  because  they  are  poor. 
In  the  one  case  it  is  to  punish  vices  bred  from  an 
improper  use  of  wealth,  and  in  the  other  to  reward 
virtues  that  have  sprung  from  the  soil  of  poverty. 
''  Poor  aitd  ^giows  parents,"  wrote  David  Livingstone  on 
the  tombstone  of  his  parents  at  Hamilton,  when  he 
wished  to  record  the  grounds  of  his  thankfulness  for 
the  position  in  life  which  they  held.  "  I  would  not  ex- 
change my  peasant  father  for  any  king,"  said  Thomas 
Carlyle,  when  he  thought  of  the  gems  of  Christian 
worth  that  had  shone  out  all  the  brighter  amid  the 
hard  conditions  of  his  father's  life.  Riches  are  no  re- 
proach, and  poverty  is  no  merit ;  but  the  pride  so  apt  to 
be  bred  of  riches,  the  idleness,  the  injustice,  the  selfish- 
ness so  often  associated  with  them,  is  what  God  likes  to 
reprove  ;  and  the  graces  that  may  be  found  in  the  poor 
man's  home,  the  unwearied  devotion  to  duty,  the  neigh- 
bourliness and  brotierly  love,  and  above  all  the  faith, 
the  hope,  and  the  charity  are  what  He  delights  to  honour, 
VOL.  3 


34  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL. 


In  the  spiritual  sense  there  is  no  more  important 
ingredient  of  character  in  God's  sight  than  the  sense  of 
emptiness,  and  the  conviction  that  all  goodness,  all 
strength,  all  blessing  must  come  from  God.  The  heart, 
thus  emptied,  is  prepared  to  welcome  the  grace  that  is 
offered  to  supply  its  needs.  Air  rushes  into  an  ex- 
hausted receiver.  Where  the  idea  prevails  either  that 
we  are  possessed  of  considerable  native  goodness,  or 
that  we  have  only  to  take  pains  with  ourselves  to  get 
it,  there  is  no  welcome  for  the  truth  that  '^by  grace  are 
ye  saved."  Whoever  says,  "  I  am  rich  and  increased 
in  goods,  and  have  need  of  nothing,*'  knows  not  that 
"  he  is  wretched,  and  miserable,  and  poor,  and  blind, 
and  naked."  Miserable  the}^  who  live  and  die  in  this 
delusion  !  Happy  they  who  have  been  taught,  '*  In 
me  dwelleth  no  good  thing."  *'  All  my  springs  are  in 
Thee."  Jesus  Christ  "  is  made  to  us  of  God  wisdom 
and  righteousness  and  sanctification  and  redemption." 
"  Out  of  His  fulness  have  we  all  received,  and  grace 
for  grace." 

3.  The  third  topic  in  Hannah's  song  is  God's  very 
gracious  treatment  of  His  saints.  "  He  will  keep  the 
feet  of  His  saints."  The  term  *'feet"  shows  the 
reference  to  be  to  their  earthly  Hfe,  their  steps,  their 
course  through  the  world.  It  is  a  promise  which 
others  would  care  for  but  little,  but  which  is  very 
precious  to  all  believers.  To  know  the  wa}^  in  which 
God  would  have  one  to  go  is  of  prime  importance  to 
every  godly  heart.  To  be  kept  from  wandering  into 
unblest  ways,  kept  from  trilling  with  temptation,  and 
dallying  with  sin  is  an  infinite  blessing.  "  Oh  that  my 
ways  were  directed  to  keep  Thy  statutes  !  Then  shall 
I  not  be  ashamed  when  I  have  respect  unto  all  Thy 
commandments."     "He  will  keep  the  feet  of  His  saints." 


ii.l.io.]    HANNAH'S  SONG   OF    THANKSGIVING,  3S 

4.  And  lastly,  Hannah  rejoices  in  that  dispensation 
of  mercy  that  was  coming  in  connection  with  God's 
*'  king,  His  anointed  "  (v.  10).  Guided  by  the  Spirit, 
she  sees  that  a  king  is  coming,  that  a  kingdom  is  to  be 
set  up,  and  ruled  over  by  the  Lord's  anointed.  She 
sees  that  God's  blessing  is  to  come  down  on  the  king, 
the  anointed,  and  that  under  him  the  kingdom  is  to 
prosper  and  to  spread.  Did  she  catch  a  glimpse  of  what 
was  to  happen  under  such  kings  as  David,  Jehoshaphat, 
Hezekiah,  and  Josiah?  Did  she  see  in  prophetic 
vision  the  loving  care  of  such  kings  for  the  welfare  of 
the  people,  their  holy  zeal  for  God,  their  activity  and 
earnestness  in  doing  good  ?  And  did  the  glimpse  of 
these  coming  benefits  suggest  to  her  the  thought  of 
what  was  to  be  achieved  by  Him  who  was  to  be  the 
anointed  one,  the  Messiah  in  a  higher  sense?  We 
can  hardly  avoid  giving  this  scope  to  her  song.  It  was 
but  a  small  measure  of  these  blessings  that  her  son 
personally  could  bring  about.  Her  son  seems  to  give 
place  to  a  higher  Son,  through  w^hom  the  land  would 
be  blessed  as  no  one  else  could  have  blessed  it,  and 
all  hungry  and  thirsty  souls  would  be  guided  to  that 
living  bread  and  living  water  of  which  whosoever  ate 
and  drank  should  never  hunger  or  thirst  again. 

What  is  the  great  lesson  of  this  song?  That  foi 
the  answer  to  prayer,  for  deliverance  from  trial,  for  the 
fulfilment  of  hopes,  for  the  glorious  things  yet  spoken 
of  the  city  of  our  God,  our  most  cordial  thanksgivings 
are  due  to  God.  Every  Christian  life  presents  number- 
less occasions  that  very  specially  call  for  such  thanks- 
giving. But  there  is  one  thankgiving  that  must  take 
precedence  of  all — ''Thanks  be  unto  God  for  His 
unspeakable  gift."  "Blessed  be  the  God  and  Father 
of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  who  according  to  His  abun- 


36  THE  FIRST  BOOK    OF  SAMUEL. 

dant  mercy  hath  begotten  us  again  unto  a  living  hope, 
to  an  inheritance  incorruptible  and  undefiled,  and  that 
fadeth  not  away,  reserved  in  heaven  for  you,  who  are 
kept  by  the  power  of  God  through  faith  unto  salvation 
ready  to  be  re-v  ealed  in  the  last  day." 


CHAPTER  IV. 

ELI'S     HOUSE, 
I  Samuel  iL  11-36. 

THE  notices  of  little  Samuel,  that  alternate  in  this 
passage  with  the  sad  accounts  of  Eli  and  his 
house,  are  like  the  green  spots  that  vary  the  dull 
stretches  of  sand  in  a  desert ;  or  like  the  little  bits  of 
blue  sky  that  charm  your  eye  when  the  firmament  is 
darkened  by  a  storm.  First  we  are  told  how,  after 
Elkanah  and  Hannah  departed,  the  child  Samuel 
ministered  unto  the  Lord  before  EU  the  priest  (v.  ii); 
then  comes  an  ugly  picture  of  the  wickedness  practised 
at  Shiloh  by  Eh's  sons  (vv.  12-17);  another  episode 
brings  Samuel  again  before  us,  with  some  details  of 
his  own  history  and  that  of  his  family  (vv.  1 8-21);  this 
is  followed  by  an  account  of  Eli's  feeble  endeavours  to 
restrain  the  wickedness  of  his  sons  (vv.  22-25).  Once 
more  we  have  a  bright  glimpse  of  Samuel,  and  of  his 
progress  in  Hfe  and  character,  very  similar  in  terms 
to  St.  Luke's  account  of  the  growth  of  the  child 
Jesus  (v.  26) ;  and  finally  the  series  closes  with  a 
painful  narrative — the  visit  of  a  man  of  God  to  Eli, 
reproving  his  guilty  laxity  in  connection  with  his  sons, 
and  announcing  the  downfall  of  his  house  (vv.  27-36). 
In  the  wickedness  of  Eli's  sons  we  see  the  enemy 
coming  in  like  a  flood ,  in  the  progress  of  little  Samuel 


38  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL, 

we  see  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  Hfting  up  a  standard 
against  him.  We  see  evil  powerful  and  most  de- 
structive ;  we  see  the  instrument  of  healing  very  feeble 
— a  mere  infant.  Yet  the  power  of  God  is  with  the 
infant,  and  in  due  time  the  force  which  he  represents 
will  prevail.  It  is  just  a  picture  of  the  grand  conflict 
of  sin  and  grace  in  the  world.  It  was  verified  em- 
phatically when  Jesus  was  a  child.  How  slender  the 
force  seemed  that  was  to  scatter  the  world's  darkness, 
roll  back  its  wickedness,  and  take  away  its  guilt  I  How 
striking  the  lesson  for  us  not  to  be  afraid  though  the 
apparent  force  of  truth  and  goodness  in  the  world  be 
infinitesimally  small.  The  worm  Jacob  shall  yet  thresh 
the  mountains ;  the  little  flock  shall  yet  possess  the 
kingdom  ;  "  there  shall  be  a  handful  of  corn  on  the  top 
of  the  mountains,  the  fruit  thereof  shall  shake  like 
Lebanon,  and  they  of  the  city  shall  flourish  like  grass 
of  the  earth." 

It  is  mainly  the  picture  of  Eli's  house  and  the  be- 
haviour of  his  family  that  fills  our  eye  in  this  chapter. 
It  is  to  be  noticed  that  Eli  was  a  descendant,  not  of 
Eleazar,  the  elder  son  of  Aaron,  but  of  Ithamar,  the 
younger.  Why  the  high  priesthood  was  transferred 
from  the  one  family  to  the  other,  in  the  person  of  Eli, 
we  do  not  know.  Evidently  Eli's  claim  to  the  priest- 
hood was  a  valid  one,  for  in  the  reproof  addressed  to 
him  it  is  fully  assumed  that  he  was  the  proper  occupant 
of  the  office.  One  is  led  to  think  that  either  from 
youth  or  natural  feebleness  the  proper  heir  in  Eleazar's 
line  had  been  unfit  for  the  office,  and  that  EU  had  been 
appointed  to  it  as  possessing  the  personal  qualifications 
which  the  other  wanted.  Probably  therefore  he  was 
a  man  of  vigour  in  his  earlier  days,  one  capable  of 
being   at   the   head    of  alTairs;    and   if  so   his   loose 


ii.  11-36.]  ELVS  HOUSE.  39 


f^^overnment  of  his  family  was  all  the  more  worthy  of 
blame.  It  could  not  have  been  that  the  male  line  in 
Eleazar's  family  had  failed  ;  for  in  the  time  of  David 
Zadok  of  the  family  of  Eleazar  was  priest,  along  with 
Abiathar,  of  the  family  of  Ithamar  and  Eli.  From 
Eli's  administration  great  things  would  seem  to  have 
been  expected ;  all  the  more  lamentable  and  shameful 
was  the  state  of  things  that  ensued. 

I.  First  our  attention  is  turned  to  the  gross  wicked- 
ness and  scandalous  behaviour  of  Eli's  sons.  There 
are  many  dark  pictures  in  the  history  of  Israel  in  the 
time  of  the  Judges, — pictures  of  idolatry,  pictures  of 
lust,  pictures  of  treachery,  pictures  of  bloodshed  ;  but 
there  is  none  more  awful  than  the  picture  of  the  high 
priest's  family  at  Shiloh.  In  the  other  cases  members 
of  the  nation  had  become  grossly  wicked ;  but  in  this 
case  it  is  the  salt  that  has  lost  its  savour — it  is  those 
who  should  have  led  tne  people  in  the  ways  of  God 
that  have  become  the  ringleaders  of  the  devil's  army. 
Hophni  and  Phinehas  take  their  places  in  that  un- 
honoured  band  where  the  names  of  Alexander  Borgia, 
and  many  a  high  ecclesiastic  of  the  Middle  Ages  send 
forth  their  stinking  savour.  They  are  marked  by  the 
two  prevailing  vices  of  the  lowest  natures — greed  and 
lechery.  Their  greed  preys  upon  the  worthy  men  who 
brought  their  offerings  to  God's  sanctuary  in  obedience 
to  His  law ;  their  lechery  seduces  the  very  women 
who,  employed  in  the  service  of  the  place  (see  Revised 
Version),  might  have  reasonably  thought  of  it  as  the 
gate  to  heaven  rather  than  the  avenue  of  hell.  So 
shameless  were  they  in  both  kinds  of  vice  that  they 
were  at  no  pains  to  conceal  either  the  one  or  the  other. 
It  mattered  nothing  what  regulations  God  had  made 
as  to  the  parts  of  the  offering  the  priest  was  to  have ; 


40  THE  FIRST  BOOK-  OF  SAMUEL, 

down  went  their  fork  into  the  sacrificial  caldron,  and 
whatever  it  drew  up  became  theirs.  It  mattered  not 
that  the  fat  of  certain  sacrifices  was  due  to  God,  and 
that  it  ought  to  have  been  given  oft'  before  any  other 
use  was  made  of  the  flesh  ;  the  priests  claimed  the 
flesh  in  its  integrity,  and  if  the  offerer  would  not 
willingly  surrender  it  their  servant  fell  upon  him  and 
wrenched  it  away.  It  is  difficult  to  say  whether  the 
greater  hurt  was  inflicted  by  such  conduct  on  the  cause 
of  religion  or  on  the  cause  of  ordinary  morality.  As 
for  the  cause  of  religion,  it  suffered  that  terrible  blow 
which  it  always  suffers  whenever  it  is  dissociated  from 
morality.  The  very  heart  and  soul  is  torn  out  of 
religion  when  men  are  led  to  believe  that  their  duty 
consists  in  merely  believing  certain  dogmas,  attending  to 
outward  observances,  paying  dues,  and  "performing" 
worship.  What  kind  of  conception  of  God  can  men 
have  who  are  encouraged  to  believe  that  justice,  mercy, 
and  truth  have  nothing  to  do  with  His  service  ?  How 
can  they  ever  think  of  Him  as  a  Spirit,  who  requires 
of  them  that  worship  Him  that  they  worship  Him  in 
spirit  and  in  truth  ?  How  can  such  religion  give  men 
a  real  veneration  for  God,  or  inspire  them  with  thai 
spirit  of  obedience,  trust,  and  delight  of  which  he  ought 
ever  to  be  the  object?  Under  such  religion  all  belief  in 
God's  existence  tends  to  vanish.  Though  His  existence 
may  continue  to  be  acknowledged,  it  is  not  a  power, 
it  has  no  influence ;  it  neither  stimulates  to  good  nor 
restrains  from  evil.  Religion  becomes  a  miserable 
form,  without  life,  without  vigour,  without  beauty — a 
mere  carcase  deserving  only  to  be  buried  out  of  sight. 

And  if  such  a  condition  of  things  is  fatal  to  religion^ 
it  is  fatal  to  morality  too.  Men  are  but  too  ready  by 
nature  to  play  loose  with  conscience.     But  when  the 


36.]  ELVS   HOUSE. 


religious  heads  of  the  nation  are  seen  at  once  robbing 
man  and  robbing  God,  and  when  this  is  done  appa- 
rently with  impunity,  it  seems  foolish  to  ordinary  men 
to  mind  moral  restraints.  "  Why  should  we  mind  the 
barriers  of  conscience  "  (the  young  men  of  Israel  might 
argue)  "  when  these  young  priests  disregard  them  ?  If 
we  do  as  the  priest  does  we  shall  do  very  well." 
Men  of  corrupt  lives  at  the  head  of  religion,  who  are 
shameless  in  their  profligacy,  have  a  lowering  effect 
on  the  moral  life  of  the  whole  community.  Down  and 
down  goes  the  standard  of  living.  Class  after  class 
gets  infected.  The  mischief  spreads  Hke  dry  rot  in  a 
building;  ere  long  the  whole  fabric  of  society  is 
infected  with  the  poison. 

2.  And  how  did  the  high  priest  deal  with  this  state 
of  things  ?  In  the  worst  possible  way.  He  spoke 
against  it  but  he  did  not  act  against  it.  He  showed 
that  he  knew  of  it,  he  owned  it  to  be  very  wicked ; 
but  he  contented  himself  with  words  of  remonstrance, 
which  in  the  case  of  such  hardened  transgression  were 
of  no  more  avail  than  a  child's  breath  against  a  brazen 
wall.  At  the  end  of  the  day,  it  is  true  that  Eli  was  a 
decrepit  old  man,  from  whom  much  vigour  of  action 
could  not  have  been  expected.  But  the  evil  began 
before  he  was  so  old  and  decrepit,  and  his  fault  was 
that  he  did  not  restrain  his  sons  at  the  time  when  he 
ought  and  might  have  restrained  them.  Yes,  but  even 
if  Eli  was  old  and  decrepit  when  the  actual  state  of 
things  first  burst  on  his  view,  there  was  enough  of  the 
awful  in  the  conduct  of  his  sons  to  have  roused  him  to 
unwonted  activity.  David  was  old  and  decrepit,  lying 
feebly  at  the  edge  of  death,  when  word  was  brought  to 
him  that  Adonijah  had  been  proclaimed  king  in  place 
of  Solomon,   for  whom   he  had   destined    the   throne. 


42  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL. 

But  there  was  enough  of  the  starthng  in  this  intelligence 
to  bring  back  a  portion  of  its  3-outhful  fire  to  David's 
heart,  and  set  him  to  devise  the  most  vigorous  measures 
to  prevent  the  mischief  that  was  so  ready  to  be  perpe- 
trated. Fancy  King  David  sending  a  meek  message 
to  Adonijah — "  Nay,  my  son,  it  is  not  on  your  head 
but  on  Solomon's  that  my  crown  is  to  rest ;  go  home, 
my  son,  and  do  nothing  more  in  a  course  hurtful  u 
yourself  and  hurtful  to  your  people."  But ;  it  was  this 
foolish  and  most  inefficient  course  that  Eli  took  with 
his  sons.  Had  he  acted  as  he  should  have  acted  at 
the  beginning,  matters  would  never  have  come  to  such 
a  flagrant  pass.  But  when  the  state  of  things  became 
so  terrible,  there  was  but  one  course  that  should  have 
been  thought  of.  When  the  wickedness  of  the  acting- 
priests  was  so  outrageous  that  men  abhorred  the 
offering  of  the  Lord,  the  father  ought  to  have  been 
sunk  in  the  high  priest ;  the  men  who  had  so  dis- 
honoured their  office  should  have  been  driven  from  the 
place,  and  the  very  remembrance  of  the  crime  they  had 
committed  should  have  been  obliterated  by  the  holy  lives 
and  holy  service  of  better  men.  It  was  inexcusable  in 
Eli  to  allow  them  to  remain.  If  he  had  had  a  right 
sense  of  his  office  he  would  never  for  one  moment  have 
allowed  the  interest  of  his  family  to  outweigh  the  claims 
of  God.  What  !  Had  God  in  the  wilderness,  by  a 
solemn  and  deadly  judgment,  removed  from  office  and 
from  life  the  two  elder  sons  of  Aaron  simply  because 
they  had  offered  strange  fire  in  their  censers  ?  And 
what  was  the  crime  of  ofiering  strange  fire  compared  to 
the  crime  of  robbing  God,  of  violating  the  Decalogue,  of 
openly  practising  gross  and  daring  wickedness,  under 
the  very  shadow  of  the  tabernacle  ?  If  Eli  did  not 
take  steps  for  stopping  these  atrocious  proceedings,  he 


ii.  11-36.]  ELVS  HOUSE.  43 

might  rely  on  it  that  steps  would  be  taken  in  another 
quarter — God  Himself  would  mark  His  sense  of  the 
t>in. 

For  what  were  the  interests  of  his  sons  compared 
with  the  credit  of  the  national  worship  ?  What 
mattered  it  that  the  sudden  stroke  would  fall  on  them 
with  startling  violence  ?  If  it  did  not  lead  to  their 
repentance  and  salvation  it  would  at  least  save  the 
national  religion  from  degradation,  and  it  would  thus 
bring  benefit  to  tens  of  thousands  in  the  land.  All 
this  Eli  did  not  regard.  He  could  not  bring  himself 
to  be  harsh  to  his  own  sons.  He  could  not  bear  that 
they  should  be  disgraced  and  degraded.  He  would 
satisfy  himself  with  a  mild  remonstrance,  notwith- 
standing that  every  day  new  disgrace  was  heaped  on 
the  sanctuary,  and  new  encouragement  given  to  others 
to  practise  wickedness,  by  the  very  men  who  should 
have  been  foremost  in  honouring  God,  and  sensitive 
to  every  breath  that  would  tarnish  His  name. 

How  differently  God's  servants  acted  in  other  days  I 
How  differently  Moses  acted  when  he  came  down  from 
the  mount  and  found  the  people  worshipping  the 
golden  calf!  "  It  came  to  pass,  as  soon  as  he  came 
nigh  unto  the  camp,  that  he  saw  the  calf  and  the 
dancing :  and  Moses'  anger  waxed  hot,  and  he  cast 
the  tables  out  of  his  hands  and  brake  them  beneath 
the  mount.  And  he  took  the  calf  which  they  had 
made,  and  burnt  it  in  the  fire,  and  ground  it  to  powder, 
and  strawed  it  upon  the  water,  and  made  the  children 
of  Israel  drink  of  it.  .  .  .  And  Moses  stood  in  the 
gate  of  the  camp  and  said.  Who  is  on  the  Lord's  side  ? 
let  him  come  unto  me.  And  all  the  sons  of  Levi 
gathered  them.selves  together  unto  him.  And  he  said 
unto  them,  Thus  saith   the  Lord  God  of  Israel,  Put 


44  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL. 

every  man  his  sword  by  his  side,  and  go  in  and  out 
from  gate  to  gate  through  the  camp,  and  slay  every 
man  his  brother,  and  every  man  his  companion,  and 
every  man  his  neighbour."  Do  we  think  this  too  sharp 
and  severe  a  retribution  ?  At  all  events  it  marked  in 
a  suitable  way  the  enormity  of  the  offence  of  Aaron 
and  the  people,  and  the  awful  provocation  of  Divine 
udgments  which  the  affair  of  the  golden  calf  implied. 
It  denoted  that  in  presence  of  such  a  sin  the  claims 
of  kindred  were  never  for  a  moment  to  be  thought 
of;  and  in  the  blessing  of  Moses  it  was  a  special 
commendation  of  the  zeal  of  Levi,  that  "  he  said  unto 
his  father,  and  to  his  mother,  I  have  not  seen  him 
neither  did  he  acknowledge  his  brethren,  nor  knew  his 
own  children."  It  was  the  outrageous  character  of  the 
offence  in  the  matter  of  the  golden  calf  that  justified 
the  severe  and  abrupt  procedure ;  but  it  was  Eli's  con- 
demnation that  though  the  sin  of  his  sons  was  equally 
outrageous,  he  was  moved  to  no  indignation,  and 
took  no  step  to  rid  the  tabernacle  of  men  so  utterly 
unworthy. 

It  is  often  very  difficult  to  explain  how  it  comes  to 
pass  that  godly  men  have  had  ungodly  children.  There 
is  little  difficulty  in  accounting  for  this  on  the  present 
occasion.  There  was  a  fatal  defect  in  the  method  ot 
Eli.  His  remonstrance  with  his  sons  is  not  made  at 
the  proper  time.  It  is  not  made  in  the  fitting  tone. 
When  disregarded,  it  is  not  followed  up  by  the  proper 
consequences.  We  can  easily  think  of  Eli  letting  the 
boys  have  their  own  will  and  their  own  way  when  they 
were  young;  threatening  them  for  disobedience,  but 
not  executing  the  threat;  angry  at  them  when  they 
did  wrong,  but  not  punishing  the  offence ;  vacillating 
perhaps  between  occasional  severit}^  and  habitual   in- 


ii.  11-36]  ELVS  HOUSE.  45 

dulgence,  till  by-and-bye  all  fear  of  sinning  had  left 
them,  and  they  coolly  calculated  that  the  grossest 
wickedness  would  meet  with  nothing  worse  than  a 
reproof.  How  sad  the  career  of  the  young  men  them- 
selves !  We  must  not  forget  that,  however  inexcusable 
their  father  was,  the  great  guilt  of  the  proceeding  was 
theirs.  How  must  they  have  hardened  their  hearts 
against  the  example  of  Eli,  against  the  solemn  claims  of 
God,  against  the  holy  traditions  of  the  service,  against 
the  interests  and  claims  of  those  whom  they  ruined, 
against  the  welfare  of  God's  chosen  people  I  How 
terribly  did  their  familiarity  with  sacred  things  react  on 
their  character,  making  them  treat  even  the  holy  priest- 
hood as  a  mere  trade,  a  trade  in  which  the  most  sacred 
interests  that  could  be  conceived  were  only  as  counters, 
to  be  turned  by  them  into  gain  and  sensual  pleasure ! 
Could  anything  come  nearer  to  the  sin  against  the 
Holy  Ghost  ?  No  wonder  though  their  doom  was  that 
of  persons  judicially  blinded  and  hardened.  They 
were  given  up  to  a  reprobate  mind,  to  do  those  things 
that  were  not  convenient.  ''They  hearkened  not  to 
the  voice  of  their  father,  because  the  Lord  would  slay 
them."  They  experienced  the  fate  of  men  who  deli- 
berately sin  against  the  light,  who  love  their  lusts 
so  well  that  nothing  will  induce  them  to  fight  against 
them ;  they  were  so  hardened  that  repentance  became 
impossible,  and  it  was  necessary  for  them  to  undergo 
the  full  retribution  of  their  wickedness. 

3.  But  it  is  time  we  should  look  at  the  message 
brought  to  Eli  by  the  man  of  God.  In  that  message  Eli 
was  first  reminded  of  the  gracious  kindness  shown  to 
the  house  of  Aaron  in  their  being  entrusted  with  the 
priesthood,  and  in  their  having  an  honourable  provision 
secured  for  them.     Next  he  is  asked  why  he  trampled 


40  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL, 

on  God's  sacrifice  and  ofifering  (marg.  Revised  Version), 
and  considered  the  interests  of  his  sons  above  the  honour 
of  God  ?  Then  he  is  told  that  any  previous  promise 
of  the  perpetuity  of  his  house  is  now  qualified  by  the 
necessity  God  is  under  to  have  regard  to  the  character 
of  his  priests,  and  honour  or  degrade  them  accordingly. 
In  accordance  with  this  rule  the  house  of  Eli  would 
suffer  a  terrible  degradation.  He  (this  includes  his 
successors  in  office)  would  be  stript  of  "  his  arm,"  that 
is,  his  strength.  No  member  of  his  house  would  reach 
a  good  old  age.  The  establishment  at  Shiloh  would 
fall  more  and  more  into  decay,  as  if  there  was  an 
enemy  in  God's  habitation.  Any  who  might  remain  of 
the  family  would  be  a  grief  and  distress  to  those  whom 
Eli  represented.  The  young  men  themselves,  Hophni 
and  Phinehas,  would  die  the  same  day.  Those  who 
shared  their  spirit  would  come  crouching  to  the  high 
priest  of  the  day  and  implore  him  to  put  them  into  one 
of  the  priest's  offices,  not  to  give  them  the  opportunity 
of  serving  God,  but  that  they  might  eat  a  piece  of 
bread.  Terrible  catalogue  of  curses  and  calamities  ! 
Oh,  sin,  what  a  brood  of  sorrows  dost  thou  bring  forth  ! 
Oh,  young  man,  who  walkest  in  the  ways  of  thine  heart, 
and  in  the  sight  of  thine  eyes,  what  a  myriad  of 
distresses  dost  thou  prepare  for  those  whom  thou  art 
most  bound  to  care  for  and  to  bless  I  Oh,  minister  of 
the  gospel,  who  allowest  thyself  to  tamper  with  the 
cravings  of  the  flesh  till  thou  hast  brought  ruin  on 
thyself,  disgrace  on  thy  family,  and  confusion  on  thy 
Church,  what  infatuation  was  it  to  admit  thy  worst 
foe  to  the  sanctuary  of  thy  bosom,  and  allow  him  to 
establish  himself  in  the  citadel  till  thou  couldst  not 
get  quit  of  him,  so  that  thou  art  now  helpless  in  his 
hands,   with    nothing    but    sadness    for    thy    present 


ii.  11-36.]  ELPS  HOUSE  47 

inheritance,  and  for  the  future  a  fearful  looking  for  of 
judgment  and  fiery  indignation  ! 

One  word,  in  conclusion,  respecting  that  great 
principle  of  the  kingdom  of  God  announced  by  the 
prophet  as  that  on  which  Jehovah  would  act  in 
reference  to  His  priests — ^*  Them  that  honour  Me  I  will 
honour,  but  they  that  despise  Me  shall  be  lightly 
esteemed."  It  is  one  of  the  grandest  sayings  in 
Scripture.  It  is  the  eternal  rule  of  the  kingdom  of 
God,  not  limited  to  the  days  of  Hophni  and  Phinehas, 
but,  Hke  the  laws  of  the  Medes  and  Persians,  eternal  as 
the  ordinances  of  heaven.  It  is  a  law  confirmed  by  all 
history;  every  man's  life  confirms  it,  for  though  this 
life  is  but  the  beginning  of  our  career,  and  the  final 
clearing  up  of  Divine  providence  is  to  be  left  to  the 
judgment-day,  yet  when  we  look  back  on  the  w'orld's 
history  we  find  that  those  that  have  honoured  God, 
God  has  honoured  them,  while  they  that  have  despised 
Him  have  indeed  been  lightly  esteemed.  However 
men  may  try  to  get  their  destiny  into  their  own  hands  ; 
however  they  may  secure  themselves  from  this  trouble 
and  from  that ;  however,  like  the  first  Napoleon,  they 
may  seem  to  become  omnipotent,  and  to  wield  an 
irresistible  power,  yet  the  day  of  retribution  comes 
at  last;  having  sown  to  the  flesh,  of  the  flesh  also 
they  reap  corruption.  While  the  men  that  have 
honoured  God,  the  men  that  have  made  their  own 
interests  of  no  account,  but  have  set  themselves 
resolutely  to  obey  God's  will  and  do  God's  work ;  the 
men  that  ha\e  believed  in  God  as  the  holy  Ruler  and 
Judge  of  the  world,  and  have  laboured  in  private  life 
and  in  public  service  to  carry  out  the  great  rules  of  His 
kingdom, — justice,  mercy,  the  love  of  God  and  the  love 
of  man, — these  are  tne  men  that  God  has  honoured; 


48  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL. 

these  are  the  men  whose  work  abides;  these  are  the 
men  whose  names  shme  with  undying  honour,  and 
from  whose  example  and  achievements  young  hearts 
in  every  following  age  draw  their  inspiration  and 
encouragement.  What  a  grand  rule  of  life  it  is,  for  old 
and  young  !  Do  you  wish  a  maxim  that  shall  be  of 
high  service  to  you  in  the  voyage  of  life,  that  shall  en- 
able you  to  steer  your  barque  safely  both  amid  the  open 
assaults  of  evil,  and  its  secret  currents,  so  that,  however 
tossed  you  may  be,  you  may  have  the  assurance  that 
the  ship's  head  is  in  the  right  direction,  and  that  you 
are  moving  steadily  towards  the  desired  haven  ;  where 
can  you  find  anything  more  clear,  more  fitting,  more 
sure  and  certain  than  just  these  words  of  the  Almighty, 
"  Them  that  honour  Me  I  will  honour ;  but  they  that 
despise  Me  shall  be  lightly  esteemed"? 


CHAPTER  V. 

SAMUEL'S    VISION, 
I  Samuel  iii. 

IT  is  evident  that  Samuel  must  have  taken  very 
kindly  to  the  duties  of  the  sanctuary.  He  was 
manifestly  one  of  those  who  are  sanctified  from  in- 
fancy, and  whose  hearts  go  from  the  first  with  sacred 
duties.  There  were  no  wayward  impulses  to  subdue, 
no  hankerings  after  worldly  freedom  and  worldly  enjoy- 
ment ;  there  was  no  necessity  for  coercive  measures, 
either  to  restrain  him  from  outbursts  of  frivolity  or  to 
compel  him  to  diligence  and  regularity  in  his  calling. 
From  the  first  he  looked  with  solemn  awe  and  holy 
interest  on  all  that  related  to  the  worship  of  God  ; 
that,  to  him,  was  the  duty  above  all  other  duties,  the 
privilege  above  all  other  privileges.  God  to  him  was 
not  a  mere  idea,  an  abstraction,  representing  merely 
the  dogmas  and  services  of  religion.  God  was  a 
reality,  a  personality,  a  Being  who  dealt  very  closely 
with  men,  and  with  whom  they  were  called  to  deal 
very  closely  too.  We  can  easily  conceive  how  desirous 
little  Samuel  would  be  to  know  something  of  the 
meaning  of  the  services  at  Shiloh;  how  scrupulous 
to  perform  every  duty,  how  regular  and  real  in  his 
prayers,  and  how  full  of  reverence  and  affection  for 
God.     He  would  go  about  all  his  duties  with  a  grave, 

VOL.   I.  4 


50  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL. 


sweet,  earnest  face,  conscious  of  their  importance  and 
solemnity  ;  always  thinking  more  of  them  than  of  any- 
thing else, — thinking  perhaps  of  the  service  of  the 
angels  in  heaven,  and  trying  to  serve  God  as  they 
served  Him,  to  do  God's  will  on  earth  as  it  was  done 
in  heaven. 

At  the  opening  of  this  chapter  he  seems  to  be  the 
confidential  servant  of  the  high  priest,  sleeping  near 
to  him,  and  in  the  habit  of  receiving  directions  from 
him.  He  must  be  more  than  a  child  now,  otherwise 
he  would  not  be  entrusted,  as  he  was,  with  the  opening 
of  the  doors  of  the  house  of  the  Lord. 

The  evil  example  of  Hophni  and  Phinehas,  so  far 
from  corrupting  him,  seems  to  have  made  him  more 
resolute  the  other  way.  It  was  horrid  and  dis- 
gusting ;  and  as  gross  drunkenness  on  the  part  of  a 
father  sometimes  sets  the  children  the  more  against  it, 
so  the  profligacy  of  the  young  priests  would  make 
Samuel  more  vigilant  in  every  matter  of  duty.  That 
Eli  bore  as  he  did  with  the  conduct  of  his  sons  must 
have  been  a  great  perplexity  to  him,  and  a  great 
sorrow;  but  it  did  not  become  one  at  his  time  of  lite 
to  argue  the  question  with  the  aged  high  priest.  Thi^ 
conduct  of  Eli's  did  not  in  any  respect  diminish  th* 
respectful  bearing  of  Samuel  towards  him,  or  hiw 
readiness  to  comply  with  his  every  wish.  For  Eli  was 
God's  high  priest ;  and  in  engaging  to  be  God's  servant 
in  the  tabernacle  Samuel  knew  well  that  he  took  the 
high  priest  as  his  earthly  master. 

I.  The  first  thing  that  engages  our  special  attention 
in  this  chapter  is  the  singular  way  in  which  Samuel 
was  called  to  receive  God's  message  in  the  temple. 

The  word  of  God  was  rare  in  those  days ;  there  was 
no  open  vision,  or  rather  no  vision  that  came  abroad, 


iiil  SAMUEL'S   VISION.  51 

that  was  promulgated  to  the  nation  as  the  expression 
of  God's  will.  From  the  tone  in  which  this  is  referred 
to,  it  was  evidently  looked  on  as  a  want,  as  placing  the 
nation  in  a  less  desirable  position  than  in  days  when  God 
was  constantly  communicating  His  will.  Now,  how- 
ever, God  is  to  come  into  closer  contact  with  the  people, 
and  for  this  purpose  He  is  to  employ  a  new  instrument 
as  the  medium  of  His  messages.  For  God  is  never  at 
a  loss  for  suitable  instruments — they  are  always  ready 
when  peculiar  work  has  to  be  done.  In  the  selection 
of  the  boy  Samuel  as  his  prophet  there  is  something 
painful,  but  likewise  something  very  interesting.  It  is 
painful  to  find  the  old  high  priest  passed  over ;  his 
venerable  years  and  venerable  office  would  naturally 
have  pointed  to  him ;  but  in  spite  of  many  good 
qualities,  in  one  point  he  is  grossly  unfaithful,  and  the 
very  purpose  of  the  vision  now  to  be  made  is  to  declare 
the  outcome  of  his  faithlessness.  But  it  is  interesting 
to  find  that  already  the  child  of  Hannah  is  marked  out 
for  this  distinguished  service.  Even  in  his  case  there 
is  opportunity  for  verifying  the  rule,  "Them  that  honour 
Me  I  will  honour."  His  entire  devotion  to  God's 
service,  so  beautiful  in  one  of  such  tender  years,  is  the 
sign  of  a  character  well  adapted  to  become  the  medium 
of  God's  habitual  communications  with  His  people. 
Young  though  he  is,  his  very  youth  in  one  sense  will 
prove  an  advantage.  It  will  show  that  what  he  speaks 
is  not  the  mere  fruit  of  his  own  thinking,  but  is  the 
message  of  God.  It  will  show  that  the  spiritual  power 
that  goes  forth  with  his  words  is  not  his  own  native 
force,  but  the  force  of  the  Holy  Spirit  dwelling  in  him. 
It  will  thus  be  made  apparent  to  all  that  God  has  not 
forsaken  His  people,  corrupt  and  lamentably  wicked 
though  the  young  priests  are. 


52  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL. 

Both  Eli  and  Samuel  sleep  within  the  precincts  of  the 
tabernacle.  Not,  however,  in  the  sanctuary  itself,  but 
in  one  of  those  buildings  that  opened  into  its  courts, 
which  were  erected  for  the  accommodation  of  the 
priests  and  Levites.  Eli's  sight  w^as  failing  him,  and 
perhaps  the  care  of  the  lamp  as  well  as  the  door  was 
entrusted  to  Samuel.  The  lamp  was  to  burn  always 
(Exod.  xxvii.  20),  that  is,  it  was  to  be  trimmed  and 
lighted  every  morning  and  evening  (Exod.  xxx.  7,  8) ; 
and  to  attend  to  this  was  primarily  the  high  priest's 
duty.  The  lamp  had  doubtless  been  duly  trimmed,  and 
it  would  probably  continue  burning  through  a  good 
part  of  the  night.  It  was  not  yet  out  when  a  voice  fell 
on  the  ears  of  Samuel,  loud  enough  to  rouse  him  from 
the  profound  slumber  into  which  he  had  probably 
fallen.  Thinking  it  was  Eli's,  he  ran  to  his  side  ;  but 
Eli  had  not  called  him.  Again  the  voice  sounded, 
again  Samuel  springs  to  his  feet  and  hastens  to  the 
high  priest;  again  he  is  sent  back  with  the  same 
assurance.  A  third  time  the  voice  calls ;  a  third  time 
the  willing  and  dutiful  Samuel  flies  to  Eli's  side,  but 
this  time  he  is  sent  back  with  a  different  answer. 
Hitherto  Samuel  had  not  known  the  Lord — that  is,  he 
had  not  been  cognisant  of  His  way  of  communicating 
with  men  in  a  supernatural  form — and  it  had  never 
occurred  to  him  that  such  a  thing  could  happen  in  his 
case.  But  Eli  knew  that  such  communications  were 
made  at  times  by  God,  and,  remembering  the  visit  of 
the  man  of  God  to  himself,  he  may  have  surmised 
that  this  was  another  such  occasion.  The  voice  evi- 
dently was  no  natural  voice ;  so  Samuel  is  told  to  lie 
down  once  more,  to  take  the  attitude  of  simple 
receptiveness,  and  humbly  invite  God  to  utter  His 
message. 


iii.l  SAMUEL'S   VISION. 


55 


There  are  some  lesser  traits  of  Samuel's  character 
in  this  part  of  the  transaction  which  ought  not  to  be 
passed  over  without  remark.    The  readiness  with  which 
he  springs  from  his  bed  time  after  time,  and  the  meek- 
ness and  patience  with  which  he  asks  Eli  for  his  orders, 
without  a  word  of  complaint   on   his  apparently  un- 
reasonable conduct,  make   it  very  clear  that   Samuel 
had  learned  to  subdue  two  things — to  subdue  his  body 
and  to  subdue  his  temper.     It  is  not  an  easy  thing  for 
a  young  person  in  the  midst  of  a  deep  sleep  to  spring 
to  his  feet  time  after  time.     In  such  circumstances  the 
body  is  very  apt  to  overcome  the  mind.     But  Samuel's 
mind  overcame  the  body.     The  body  was  the  servant, 
not  the  master.    What  an  admirable  lesson  Samuel  had 
already  learned  !     Few  parts  of  early  education  are  so 
important  as  to  learn  to  keep  the  body  in  subjection. 
To  resist  bodily  cravings,  whether  greater  or  smaller, 
which    unfit   one    for   duty;  temptations    to  drink,  or 
smoke,  or  dawdle,  or  lie  in  bed,  or  waste  time  when 
one  ought   to  be  up  and  doing;  to  be  always  ready 
for    one's    work,     punctual,    methodical,    purpose-like, 
save  only  when  sickness  intervenes, — denotes  a  very 
admirable  discipline  for  a  young  person,  and  is  a  sure 
token  of  success  in  life.     Not  less  admirable   is  that 
control  over  the  temper  which  Samuel  had  evidently 
acquired.     To  be  treated  by  Eli  as  he  supposed  that 
he  had  been,  v/as  highly  provoking.     Why  drag  him  out 
of  bed  at  that  time  of  night  at  all  ?     Why  drag  him 
over  the   cold  stones  in  the   chill  darkness,  and  why 
tantahse  him  first  by  denying  that  he  called  him  and 
then  by  calling  him  again  ?     As  far  as  appears,  Samuel's 
temper  was  in  no  degree  ruffed  by  the  treatment  he 
appeared  to  be  receiving  from   Eli ;  he  felt  that  he  was 
a  servant,   and   Eli   was   his  master,    and   it   was   his 


54  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL, 

part   to    obey  his   master,   however    unreasonable   his 
treatment  might  be. 

2.  We  proceed  now  to  the  message  itself,  and 
Samuel's  reception  of  it.  It  is  substantially  a  repetition 
of  what  God  had  already  communicated  to  Eli  by  the 
man  of  God  a  few  years  before  ;  only  it  is  more  per- 
emptory, and  the  bearing  of  it  is  more  fixed  and  rigid. 
When  God  denounced  His  judgment  on  Eli's  house  by 
the  prophet,  he  seems  to  have  intended  to  give  them  an 
opportunity  to  repent.  If  Eli  had  bestirred  himself  then, 
and  banished  the  young  men  from  Shiloh,  and  if  his 
sons  in  their  afQiction  and  humiliation  had  repented  of 
their  v/ickedness,  the  threatened  doom  might  have  been 
averted.  So  at  least  we  are  led  to  believe  by  this  second 
message  having  been  superadded  to  the  first.  Now 
the  opportunity  of  repentance  has  passed  away.  God's 
words  are  very  explicit — ''  I  have  sworn  unto  the  house 
of  Eli  that  the  iniquity  of  Eli's  house  shall  not  be  purged 
with  sacrifice  nor  offering  for  ever."  After  the  previous 
warning,  Eli  seems  to  have  gone  on  lamenting  but  not 
chastising.  Hophni  and  Phinehas  seem  to  have  gone  on 
sinning  as  before,  and  heedless  of  the  scandal  they  were 
causing.  In  announcing  to  Samuel  the  coming  cata- 
strophe, God  shows  Him.self  thoroughly  alive  to  the 
magnitude  of  the  punishment  He  is  to  inflict,  and  the 
calamity  that  is  to  happen.  It  is  such  that  the  ears  of 
every  one  that  heareth  it  shall  tingle.  God  shows  also 
that,  painful  though  it  is,  it  has  been  deliberately  deter- 
mined, and  no  relenting  will  occur  when  once  the 
terrible  retribution  begins.  '^  In  that  day  will  I  perform 
against  EH  all  that  I  have  spoken  concerning  his  house ; 
when  I  begin  I  will  also  make  an  end."  But  terrible 
though  the  punishment  will  be,  there  is  only  too  good 
cause  for  it.     "  For  I  have  told  him  that  I  will  judge 


Hi.]  SAMUELS    VISION,  55 


his  house  for  ever,  for  the  iniquity  which  he  knoweth ; 
because  his  sons  made  themselves  vile,  and  he 
restrained  them  not."  There  are  some  good  parents 
whose  sons  have  made  themselves  vile,  and  they  would 
fain  have  restrained  them  but  their  efforts  to  restrain 
have  been  in  vain.  The  fault  of  Eli  was,  that  he  might 
have  restrained  them  and  he  did  not  restrain  them. 
In  those  times  fathers  had  more  authority  over  their 
families  than  is  given  them  now.  The  head  of  the 
house  was  counted  responsible  for  the  house,  because 
it  was  only  by  his  neglecting  the  power  he  had  that  his 
family  could  become  openly  wicked.  It  was  only  by 
Eli  neglecting  the  power  he  had  that  his  sons  could  have 
become  so  vile.  Where  his  sons  were  heirs  to  such 
sacred  functions  there  was  a  double  call  to  restrain  them, 
and  that  call  he  neglected.  He  neglected  it  at  the  time 
when  he  might  have  done  it,  and  that  time  could  never 
be  recalled. 

So,  there  is  an  age  when  children  may  be  restrained, 
and  if  that  age  is  allowed  to  pass  the  power  of  re- 
straining them  goes  along  with  it.  There  are  faults  in 
this  matter  on  the  part  of  many  parents,  on  the  right 
hand  and  on  the  left.  Many  err  by  not  restraining  at 
all.  Mothers  begin  while  their  children  are  yet  infants 
to  humour  their  every  whim,  and  cannot  bear  to  hold 
back  from  them  anything  they  may  wish.  It  is  this 
habit  that  is  liable  to  have  such  a  terrible  reaction. 
There  are  other  parents  that  while  they  restrain  do 
not  restrain  wisely.  They  punish,  but  they  do  not 
punish  in  love.  They  are  angry  because  their  children 
have  broken  their  rules ;  they  punish  in  anger,  and  the 
punishment  falls  merely  as  the  blow  of  a  stronger 
person  on  a  weaker.  It  does  not  humble,  it  does  not 
soften.     What    awful    consequences   it   often    brings  I 


56  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL. 

What  skeletons  it  lodges  in  many  a  house  !  God  has 
designed  the  family  to  be  the  nurse  of  what  is  best  and 
purest  in  human  life,  and  when  this  design  is  crossed 
then  the  family  institution,  which  was  designed  to  bring 
the  purest  joy,  breeds  the  darkest  misery.  And  this 
is  one  of  the  forms  of  retribution  on  wickedness  which 
we  see  carried  out  in  their  fulness  in  the  present  life ! 
How  strange,  that  men  should  be  in  any  doubt  as  to 
God  carrying  out  the  retribution  of  wickedness  to  the 
bitter  end  !  How  singular  they  should  disbelieve  in  a 
hell !  The  end  of  many  a  career  is  written  in  these 
words  : — "  Thine  own  wickedness  shall  correct  thee, 
and  thy  backslidings  shall  reprove  thee;  know  therefore, 
and  see  that  it  is  an  evil  thing  and  bitter  that  thou 
hast  forsaken  the  Lord  thy  God,  and  that  My  fear  is 
.  not  in  thee,  saith  the  Lord  God  of  hosts." 

3.  And  now  we  go  on  to  the  meeting  of  Eli  and  Samuel. 
Samuel  is  in  no  haste  to  communicate  to  Eli  the  painful 
message  he  has  received.  He  has  not  been  required 
to  do  it,  and  he  lies  till  the  morning,  awake  we  may 
believe,  but  staggered  and  dismayed.  As  usual  he 
goes  to  open  the  doors  of  God's  house.  And  then  it 
is  that  Eli  calls  him.  '^What  is  the  thing  that  He 
hath  said  unto  thee?"  he  asks.  He  adjures  Samuel 
to  tell  him  all.  And  Samuel  does  tell  him  all.  And 
Eli  listens  in  silence,  and  when  it  is  over  he  says,  with 
meek  resignation,  '^  It  is  the  Lord ;  let  Him  do  what 
seemeth  Him  good." 

We  are  touched  by  this  behaviour  of  Eli.  First  we 
are  touched  by  his  bearing  toward  Samuel.  He  knows 
that  God  has  conferred  an  honour  on  Samuel  which  He 
has  not  bestowed  on  him,  but  young  though  Samuel  is 
he  feels  no  jealousy,  he  betrays  no  sign  of  wounded 
pride.     It  is  not  easy  for  God's  servants  to  bear  being 


iii.]  SAMUEVS   VISION.  57 

passed  over  in  favour  of  others,  in  favour  of  younger 
men.  A  feeling  of  mortification  is  apt  to  steal  on 
them,  accompanied  with  some  bitterness  toward  the 
object  of  God's  preference.  This  venerable  old  man 
shows  nothing  of  that  feeling.  He  is  not  too  proud 
to  ask  Samuel  for  a  full  account  of  God's  message. 
He  will  not  have  him  leave  anything  out,  out  of  regard 
to  his  feelings.  He  must  know  the  whole,  how^ever 
painful  it  may  be.  He  has  learned  to  reverence 
God's  truth,  and  he  cannot  bear  the  idea  of  not 
knowing  all.  And  Samuel,  who  did  not  wish  to 
tell  him  anything,  is  now  constrained  to  tell  him  the 
whole.  ''He  told  him  every  w^hit,  and  hid  nothing 
from  him."  He  did  not  shun  to  declare  to  him  the 
whole  counsel  of  God.  Admirable  example  for  all 
God's  servants !  How  averse  some  men  are  to  hear 
the  truth  !  And  how  prone  are  we  to  try  to  soften 
what  is  disagreeable  in  our  message  to  sinners — to 
take  off  the  sharp  ^^z'^,  and  sheathe  it  in  generalities 
and  possibihties.  It  is  no  real  kindness.  The  kindest 
thing  we  can  do  is  to  declare  God's  doom  on  sin,  and 
to  assure  men  that  any  hopes  they  may  cherish  of  His 
relenting  to  do  as  He  has  said  are  vain  hopes — ''  When 
I  begin,"  says  God,  "  I  will  also  make  an  end." 

And  we  are  touched  further  by  Eli's  resignation  to 
God's  will.  The  w^ords  of  Samuel  must  have  raised  a 
deep  agony  in  his  spirit  when  he  thought  of  the  doom 
of  his  sons.  Feeble  though  he  was,  there  might  have 
arisen  in  his  heart  a  gust  of  fierce  rebellion  against 
that  doom.  But  nothing  of  the  kind  took  place.  Eli 
was  memorable  for  the  passive  virtues.  He  could 
bear  much,  though  he  could  dare  little.  He  could 
submit,  but  he  could  not  fight.  We  find  him  here 
meekly  recognizing  the  Divine  will.     God  has  a  right  to 


58  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL, 

do  what  He  will  w^ith  His  own  ;  and  who  am  I  that  I 
should  cry  out  against  Him  ?  He  is  the  Supreme  Dis- 
poser of  all  events ;  why  should  a  worm  like  me  stand 
in  His  Vv^ay  ?  He  submits  implicitly  to  God.  "  The 
thing  formed  must  not  say  to  Himx  that  formed  him, 
Why  hast  Thou  formed  me  thus  "  ?  What  God  ordains 
must  be  right.  It  is  a  terrible  blow  to  Eli,  but  he 
may  understand  the  bearings  of  it  better  in  another 
state.  He  bows  to  that  Supreme  Will  which  he  has 
learned  to  trust  and  to  honour  above  every  force  in 
the  universe. 

Yes,  we  are  touched  by  Eli's  meekness  and  submis- 
sion. And  yet,  though  Eli  had  in  him  the  stuff  that 
martyrs  are  often  made  of,  his  character  w^as  essentially 
feeble,  and  his  influence  was  not  wholesome.  He 
wanted  that  resolute  purpose  which  men  like  Daniel 
possessed.  His  will  v/as  too  feeble  to  control  his  life. 
He  was  too  apprehensive  of  immediate  trouble,  of 
present  inconvenience  and  unpleasantness,  to  carry 
out  firm  principles  of  action  against  wickedness,  even 
in  his  own  family.  He  was  a  memorable  instance  of 
the  soundness  of  the  principle  afterwards  laid  down  by 
St.  Paul :  **  If  a  man  know  not  how  to  rule  his  own 
house,  how  shall  he  take  care  of  the  Church  of  God  ?  " 
He  greatly  needed  the  exhortation  which  God  gave 
to  Joshua — *'  Be  strong  and  of  a  good  courage."  It 
is  true  his  infirmity  was  one  of  natural  temperament. 
Men  might  say  he  could  not  help  it.  Neither  can  one 
overcome  temperament  altogether.  But  men  of  feeble 
temperament,  especially  when  set  over  others,  have 
great  need  to  watch  it,  and  ask  God  to  strengthen  them 
where  they  are  weak.  Divine  grace  has  a  wonderful 
power  to  make  up  the  defects  of  nature.  Timid, 
irresolute    Peter  was   a   different   mai   after  his   fall. 


iii.] 


SAMUEVS   VISION.  59 


Divine  grace  turned  him  into  a  rock  after  all.  The 
coward  who  had  shrunk  from  before  a  maiden  got 
courage  to  defy  a  whole  Sanhedrim.  In  the  ministers 
of  God's  house  the  timid,  crouching  spirit  is  specially 
unseemly.  They,  at  least,  would  need  to  rest  on  firm 
convictions,  and  to  be  governed  by  a  resolute  will. 
"  Finally,  brethren,  be  strong  in  the  Lord  and  in  the 
power  of  His  might.  Put  on  the  whole  armour  of  God, 
that  ye  may  be  able  to  withstand  in  the  evil  day,  and 
having  done  all,  to  stand." 

4.  Samuel  is  now  openly  known  to  be  the  prophet  of 
the  Lord.  "  Samuel  grew,  and  the  Lord  was  with  him, 
and  did  let  none  of  his  words  fall  to  the  ground.' 
Little  didst  thou  think,  Hannah,  some  twenty  years 
ago,  that  the  child  thou  didst  then  ask  of  the  Lore 
would  ere  long  supersede  the  high  priest  who  showed 
so  little  tact  and  judgment  in  interpreting  the  agitation 
of  thy  spirit!  No,  thou  hast  no  feeling  against  the 
venerable  old  man  ;  but  thou  canst  not  but  wonder  at 
the  ups  and  downs  of  Providence ;  thou  canst  not  but 
recall  the  words  of  thine  own  song,  "He  bringeth 
low,  and  lifteth  up."  And  Samuel  has  not  to  fight  his 
way  to  public  recognition,  or  wait  long  till  it  come. 
'^AU  Israel,  from  Dan  even  .to  Beersheba,  knew 
that  Samuel  was   established  to  be  a  prophet  of  the 

Lord." 

And  by-and-bye  other  oracles  came  to  him,  by  which 
all  men  might  have  known  that  he  was  the  recog- 
nized channel  of  communication  between  God  and  the 
people.  We  shall  see  in  our  next  chapter  into  what 
trouble  the  nation  was  brought  by  disregarding  his 
prophetic  office,  and  recklessly  determining  to  drag  the 
ark  of  God  into  the  battlefield.  Meanwhile  we  cannot 
but   remark   what   a   dangerous   position,    in   a  mere 


6o  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL. 

human  point  of  view,  Samuel  now  occupied.  The 
danger  was  that  which  a  young  man  encounters  when 
suddenly  or  early  raised  to  the  possession  of  high 
spiritual  power.  Samuel,  though  Httle  more  than  a 
boy,  was  now  virtually  the  chief  man  in  Israel.  Set 
so  high,  his  natural  danger  was  great.  But  God,  who 
placed  him  there,  sustained  in  him  the  spirit  of  humble 
dependence.  After  all  he  was  but  God's  servant. 
Humble  obedience  was  still  his  duty.  And  in  this 
higher  sphere  his  career  was  but  a  continuation  of 
what  had  been  described  when  it  was  said,  "  The  child 
Samuel  ministered  to  the  Lord  in  Shiloh." 


CHAPTER  VI. 
THE  ARK  OF  GOD   TAKEN  BY  THE  PHILISTINES, 
I  Samuel  iv. 


W 


'  E  are  liable  to  form  an  erroneous  impression  of 
the  connection  of  Samuel  with  the  transactions 
of  this  chapter,  in  consequence  of  a  clause  which  ought 
to  belong  to  the  last  chapter,  being  placed,  in  the 
Authorized  Version,  at  the  beginning  of  this.  The 
clause  "  And  the  word  of  Samuel  came  to  all  Israel  " 
belongs  really  to  the  preceding  chapter.  It  denotes 
that  Samuel  was  now  over  all  Israel  the  recognized 
channel  of  communication  between  the  people  and  God. 
But  it  does  not  denote  that  the  war  with  the  Philistines, 
of  which  mention  is  immediately  made,  was  undertaken 
at  Samuel's  instance.  In  fact,  the  whole  chapter  is  re- 
markable for  the  absence  of  Samuel's  name.  What  is 
thus  denoted  seems  to  be  that  Samuel  was  not  consulted 
either  about  the  war  or  about  the  taking  of  the  ark 
into  the  battle.  Whatever  he  may  have  thought  of  the 
war,  he  would  undoubtedly  have  been  horrified  at  the 
proposal  about  the  ark.  That  whole  transaction  must 
have  seemed  to  him  a  piece  of  infatuation.  Probably 
it  was  carried  into  effect  in  a  kind  of  tumultuous  frenzy. 
But  there  can  be  no  reasonable  doubt  that  whatever 
Samuel  could  have  done  to  oppose  it  would  have  been 
done  with  the  greatest  eagerness. 


62  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL. 

The  history  is  silent  about  the  Philistines  from  the 
days  of  Samson.  The  last  we  have  heard  of  them  was 
the  fearful  tragedy  at  the  death  of  that  great  Judge 
of  Israel,  when  the  house  fell  upon  the  lords  and  the 
people,  and  such  a  prodigious  slaughter  of  their  great 
men  took  place.  From  that  calamity  they  seem  now 
to  have  revived.  They  would  naturally  be  desirous 
to  revenge  that  unexampled  catastrophe,  and  as  Eben- 
ezer  and  Aphek  are  situated  in  the  land  of  Israel,  it 
would  seem  that  the  Philistines  were  the  aggressors. 
They  had  come  up  from  the  Philistine  plain  to  the 
mountainous  country  of  Israel,  and  no  doubt  had 
already  sent  many  of  the  people  to  flight  through 
whose  farms  they  came.  As  the  Israelites  had  no 
standing  army,  the  troops  that  opposed  the  Philistines 
could  be  little  better  than  an  untrained  horde.  When 
they  joined  battle,  Israel  w^as  smitten  before  the  Philis- 
tines, and  they  slew  of  the  army  about  four  thousand 
men.  In  a  moral  point  of  view  the  defeat  was  strange ; 
the  Philistines  had  made  the  attack,  and  the  Israelites 
were  fighting  for  their  homes  and  hearths ;  yet  victory 
was  given  to  the  invaders,  and  in  four  thousand  homes 
of  Israel  there  was  lamentation  and  woe. 

But  this  was  not  really  strange.  Israel  needed 
chastening,  and  the  Philistines  were  God's  instruments 
for  that  purpose.  In  particular,  judgment  was  due  to 
the  sons  of  Eli ;  and  the  defeat  inflicted  by  the  Philis- 
tines, and  the  mistaken  and  superstitious  notion  v^hich 
seized  on  the  people  that  they  would  do  well  to  take 
God's  ark  into  the  battle,  were  the  means  by  which 
their  punishment  came.  How  often  Providence  seems 
to  follow  a  retrograde  course  !  And  yet  it  is  a  forward 
course  all  the  time,  although  from  our  point  of  view 
it  seems  backward ;  just  as  those   planets  which    are 


iv.]     THE  ARK  OF  GOD    TAKEN  BY  PHILISTINES.     63 

nearer  the  sun  than  the  earth  sometimes  seem  to  us  to 
reverse  the  direction  of  their  movement ;  although  if 
we  were  placed  in  the  centre  of  the  system  we  should 
see  very  plainly  that  they  are  moving  steadily  forward 
all  the  time. 

Three  things  call  for  special  notice  in  the  main 
narrative  of  this  chapter — i.  The  preparation  for  the 
battle;  2.  The  battle  itself;  and  3.  The  result  when 
the  news  was  carried  to  Shiloh. 

I.  The  preparation  for  the  battle  was  the  sending 
for  the  ark  of  the  Lord  to  Shiloh,  so  that  Israel  might 
right  under  the  immediate  presence  and  protection  of 
their  God. 

It  seemed  a  brilliant  idea.  Whichever  of  the  elders 
first  suggested  it,  it  caught  at  once,  and  was  promptly 
acted  on.  There  were  two  great  objections  to  it,  but 
if  they  were  so  much  as  entertained  they  certainly  had 
no  effect  given  them.  The  first  was,  that  the  elders 
had  no  legitimate  control  over  the  ark.  The  custody 
of  it  belonged  to  the  priests  and  the  Levites,  and  Eli 
was  the  high  priest.  If  the  rulers  of  the  nation  at  any 
time  desired  to  remove  the  ark  (as  David  afterwards 
did  when  he  placed  it  on  Mount  Zion),  that  could  only 
be  done  after  clear  indications  that  the  step  was  in 
accordance  with  the  will  of  God,  and  with  the  full 
consent  of  the  priests.  There  is  no  reason  to  suppose 
that  any  means  were  taken  to  find  out  whether  its 
removal  to  the  camp  was  in  accordance  with  the  will  of 
God  ;  and  as  to  the  mind  of  the  priests,  Eli  was  probably 
passed  over  as  too  old  and  too  blind  to  be  consulted, 
and  Hophni  and  Phinehas  would  be  restrained  by  no 
scruples  from  an  act  which  every  one  seemed  to 
approve.  The  second  great  objection  to  the  step  was 
that  it   was  a  superstitious  and  irreverent  use  of  the 


THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL, 


symbol  of  God's  presence.  Evidently  the  people 
ascribed  to  the  symbol  the  glorious  properties  that 
belonged  only  to  the  reahty.  They  expected  that  the 
symbol  of  God's  presence  would  do  for  them  all  that 
might  be  done  by  His  presence  itself.  And  doubtless 
there  had  been  occasions  when  the  symbol  and  the 
reality  went  together.  In  the  wilderness,  in  the  days  of 
Moses,  "  It  came  to  pass,  when  the  ark  set  forward,  that 
Moses  said.  Rise  up,  Lord,  and  let  Thine  enemies  be 
scattered,  and  let  them  that  hate  Thee  flee  before  Thee  " 
Num.  X.  35).  But  these  were  occasions  determined  by 
the  cloud  rising  and  going  before  the  host,  an  unmis- 
takable indication  of  the  will  of  God  (Num.  ix.  15-22). 
God's  real  presence  accompanied  the  ark  on  these 
occasions,  and  all  that  was  expressed  in  the  symbol 
was  actually  enjoyed  by  the  people.  There  was  no 
essential  or  inherent  connection  between  the  two;  the 
actual  connection  was  determined  merely  by  the  good 
pleasure  of  God.  It  pleased  Him  to  connect  them,  and 
connected  they  were.  But  the  ignorant  and  super- 
stitious elders  forgot  that  the  connection  between  the 
symbol  and  the  reality  was  of  this  nature ;  they 
believed  it  to  be  inherent  and  essential.  In  their 
unthinking  and  unreasoning  minds  the  symbol  might 
be  relied  on  to  produce  all  the  effect  of  the  reality.  If 
only  the  ark  of  God  were  carried  into  the  battle,  the 
same  effect  would  take  place  as  when  Moses  said  in 
the  wilderness,  '^  Rise  up.  Lord,  and  let  Thine  enemies 
be  scattered." 

Could  anything  show  more  clearly  the  unspiritual 
tendencies  of  the  human  mind  in  its  conceptions  of 
God,  and  of  the  kmd  of  worship  He  should  receive  ? 
The  idea  of  God  as  the  living  God  is  strangely  foreign 
to  the  human  heart.     To  think  of  God  as  one  who  has 


ir.J      THE  ARK  OF  GOD   TAKEN  BY  PHILISTINES.     65 


a  will  and  purpose  of  His  own,  and  who  will  never 
give  His  countenance  to  any  undertaking  that  does  not 
agree  with  that  will  and  purpose,  is  very  hard  for  the 
unspiritual  man.  To  make  the  will  of  God  the  first 
consideration  in  any  enterprise,  so  that  it  is  not  to  be 
thought  of  if  He  do  not  approve,  and  is  never  to  be 
despaired  of  if  He  be  favourable,  is  a  bondage  and  a 
trouble  beyond  his  ability.  Yet  even  superstitious 
men  believe  in  a  supernatural  power.  And  they 
believe  in  the  possibiUty  of  enlisting  that  power  on 
their  side.  And  the  method  they  take  is  to  ascribe 
the  virtue  of  a  charm  to  certain  external  objects  with 
which  that  powder  is  associated.  The  elders  of  Israel 
ascribed  this  virtue  to  the  ark.  They  never  inquired 
whether  the  enterprise  was  agreeable  to  the  mind  and 
will  of  God.  They  never  asked  whether  in  this  case 
there  was  any  ground  for  believing  that  the  symbol 
and  the  reality  would  go  together.  They  simply 
ascribed  to  the  symbol  the  power  of  a  talisman,  and 
felt  secure  of  victory  under  its  shadow. 

Would  that  we  could  think  of  this  spirit  as  extinct 
even  in  Christian  communities !  What  is  the  Romish 
and  the  very  High  Church  doctrine  of  the  sacraments 
but  an  ascription  to  them,  when  rightly  used,  of  the 
power  of  a  charm  ?  The  sacraments,  as  Scripture 
teaches,  are  symbols  of  very  glorious  realities,  and 
wherever  the  symbols  are  used  in  accordance  with  God's 
will  the  realities  are  sure  to  be  enjoyed.  But  it  has 
long  been  the  doctrine  of  the  Church  of  Rome,  and  it  is 
the  doctrine  of  Churches,  with  similar  views,  that  the 
sacraments  are  reservoirs  of  grace,  and  that  to  those 
who  place  no  fatal  obstacle  in  their  way,  grace  comes 
from  them  ex  opere  operator  from  the  very  act  of 
receiving   them.      It  is  the    Protestant  and    scriptural 

VOL.   I.  C 


66  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL. 

doctrine  that  by  stimulating  faith,  by  encouraging  us 
to  look  to  the  Hving  Saviour,  and  draw  from  Him  in 
whom  all  fulness  dwells,  the  sacraments  bring  to  us 
copious  supplies  of  grace,  but  that  without  the  pre- 
sence of  that  living  Saviour  they  would  be  merely  as 
empty  wells.  The  High  Church  view  regards  them 
as  charms,  that  have  a  magic  virtue  to  bless  the  soul. 
The  superstitious  mother  thinks  if  only  her  child 
is  baptised  it  will  be  saved,  the  act  of  baptism  will  do 
it,  and  she  never  thinks  of  the  living  Saviour  and  His 
glorious  grace.  The  dying  sinner  thinks,  if  only  he 
had  the  last  sacraments,  he  would  be  borne  peacefully 
and  well  through  the  dark  scenes  of  death  and  judgment, 
and  forgets  that  the  commandment  of  Scripture  is  not, 
Look  unto  the  last  sacraments,  but,  "Look  unto  Me 
and  be  3''e  saved."  Alas  !  what  will  men  not  substitute 
for  personal  dealings  with  the  living  God  ?  The  first 
book  and  the  last  book  of  the  Bible  present  sad  proof 
of  his  recoil  from  such  contact.  In  Genesis,  as  man 
hears  God's  voice,  he  runs  to  hide  himself  among  the 
trees  of  the  garden.  In  Revelation,  when  the  Judge 
appears,  men  call  on  the  mountains  to  fall  on  them 
and  hide  them  from  Him  that  sitteth  on  the  throne. 
Only  when  we  see  God's  face,  beautiful  and  loving,  in 
Christ,  can  this  aversion  be  overcome. 

If  the  presence  of  the  ark  in  the  field  of  battle  did 
much  to  excite  the  hopes  of  the  Israehtes,  it  did  net 
less  to  raise  the  fears  of  their  opponents.  The  shout 
with  which  its  arrival  was  hailed  by  the  one  struck 
something  of  consternation  into  the  breasts  of  the 
other.  But  now,  an  effect  took  place  on  which  the 
Israelites  had  not  reckoned.  The  Philistines  were  too 
wise  a  people  to  yield  to  panic.  If  the  Hebrew  God, 
that  did  such  wondeis  in  the  wilderness,  was  present 


iv.]      TKE  ARK   OF  GOD    TAKEN  BY  PHILISTINES.     67 

with  their  opponents,  there  was  all  the  more  need  for 
their  bestirring  themselves  and  quitting  them  like 
men.  The  elders  of  Israel  had  not  reckoned  on  this 
wise  pUn.  It  teaches  us,  even  from  a  heathen  point  of 
view,  never  to  yield  to  panic.  Even  when  everything 
looks  desperate,  there  may  be  some  untried  resource 
to  fall  back  on.  And  if  this  be  a  lesson  to  be  learnt 
from  pagans,  much  more  surely  may  it  be  thought  of 
by  believers,  who  know  that  man's  extremity  is  often 
God's  opportunity,  and  that  no  peril  is  too  imminent 
for  God  not  to  be  able  to  deliver. 

2.  And  now  the  battle  rages.  The  hope  of  mis- 
guided Israel  turns  out  an  illusion.  They  find,  to  their 
consternation,  that  the  symbol  does  not  carry  the 
reality.  It  pleases  God  to  allow  the  ark  with  which 
His  name  is  so  intimately  associated  to  be  seized  by 
the  enemy.  The  Philistines  carry  everything  before 
them.  The  ark  is  taken,  Hophni  and  Phinehas  are 
slain,  and  there  fall  of  Israel  thirty  thousand  foot- 
men. 

Can  we  fancy  the  feelings  of  the  two  priests  who 
attended  the  ark  as  the  defeat  of  the  army  of  Israel 
became  inevitable  ?  The  ark  would  probably  be  carried 
near  the  van  of  the  army,  preceded  by  some  of  the 
most  valiant  troops  of  Israel.  No  doubt  it  had  been 
reckoned  on  that  as  soon  as  its  sacred  form  was 
recognized  by  the  Philistines,  fear  would  seize  on  them, 
and  they  would  fly  before  it.  It  must  have  made  the 
two  priests  look  grave  when  nothing  of  the  kind  took 
place,  but  the  host  of  the  Philistines  advanced  in  firm 
and  intrepid  phalanx  to  the  fight.  But  surely  the  first 
onset  of  the  advanced  guard  will  show  with  whose 
army  the  victory  is  to  lie.  The  advanced  guards  are 
at  close  quarters,  and  the  men  of  Israel  give  way.    Was 


68  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL. 

there  conscience  encaigh  left  in  these  two  men  to  flash 
into  their  minds  that  God,  whose  Holy  Spirit  they  had 
vexed,  was  turned  to  be  their  enemy,  and  was  now 
fighting  against  them  ?  Did  they,  in  that  supreme 
moment,  get  one  of  those  momentary  glimpses,  in 
which  the  whole  iniquities  of  a  lifetime  seem  marshalled 
before  the  soul,  and  the  enormity  of  its  guilt  over- 
whelms it  ?  Did  they  feel  the  anguish  of  men  caught  in 
their  own  iniquities,  every  hope  perished,  death  inevit- 
able, and  after  death  the  judgment?  There  is  not  one 
word,  either  in  this  chapter  or  in  what  precedes  it, 
from  which  the  slightest  inference  in  their  favour  can 
be  drawn.  They  died  apparently  as  they  had  lived,  in 
the  very  act  of  dishonouring  God.  With  the  weapons 
of  rebellion  in  their  hands,  and  the  stains  of  guilt  on 
their  hearts,  they  w^ere  hurried  into  the  presence  of  the 
Judge.  Now  comes  the  right  estimate  of  their  reckless, 
guilty  life.  All  the  arts  of  sophistr}^,  all  the  refuges 
of  lies,  all  their  daring  contempt  of  the  very  idea  of 
a  retribution  on  sin,  are  swept  away  in  a  moment  . 
They  are  confronted  with  the  awful  reality  of  theii 
doom.  They  see  more  vividly  than  even  Eli  or 
Samuel  the  truth  of  one  part,  certainly,  of  the  Divine 
rule — "  Them  that  honour  Me  I  will  honour ;  but  they 
that  despise  Me  shall  be  lightly  esteemed." 

The  time  of  guilty  pleasure  has  passed  for  ever 
away  ;  the  time  of  enaless  retribution  has  begun.  Oh, 
how  short,  how  miserable,  how  abominable  appears  to 
them  now  the  revelry  of  their  evil  life  !  what  infatua- 
tion it  was  to  forswear  all  the  principles  in  which  they 
had  been  reared,  to  laugh  at  the  puritanic  strictness  of 
their  father,  to  sit  in  the  seat  of  the  scorner,  and  pour 
contempt  on  the  law  of  God'^^^  house  !  How  they  must 
have  cursed  the  folly  that  led   them  into   such  awful 


IV.]     rilE  ARK  OF  GOD    TAKEN  BY  PHILISTINES.      69 


ways  of  sin,  how  sighed  in  vain  that  they  had  not  in 
their  youth  chosen  the  better  part,  how  wished  they 
had  never  been  born  ! 

3.  But  we  must  leave  the  field  of  battle  and  hasten 
back  to  Sliiloh.  Since  the  ark  was  carried  off  Eli 
must  have  had  a  miserable  time  of  it,  reproaching 
himself  for  his  weakness  if  he  gave  even  a  reluctant 
assent  to  the  plan,  and  feeling  that  uncertainty  of  con- 
science which  keeps  one  even  from  prayer,  because  it 
makes  one  doubtful  if  God  will  listen.  Poor  old  man 
of  ninety-eight  years,  he  could  but  tremble  for  the  ark ! 
His  official  seat  had  been  placed  somewhere  on  the 
wayside,  where  he  would  be  near  to  get  tidings  from 
the  field  of  any  one  who  might  come  with  them,  and 
quite  probably  a  retinue  of  attendants  was  around  him. 
At  last  a  great  shout  of  horror  is  heard,  for  a  man  of 
Benjamin  has  come  in  sight  with  his  clothes  rent  and 
earth  upon  his  head.  It  is  but  too  certain  a  sign  o£ 
calamity.  But  who  could  have  thought  of  the  extent 
of  the  calamity  which  with  such  awful  precision  he 
crowded  into  his  answer?  Israel  is  fled  before  the 
Philistines — calamity  the  first ;  there  hath  been  a  great 
slaughter  among  the  people — calamity  the  second  ;  thy 
two  sons,  Hophni  and  Phinehas,  are  slain — calamity 
the  third  ;  and  last,  and  most  terrible  of  all,  the  ark  of 
God  is  taken  !  The  ark  of  God  is  taken !  The  Divine 
symbol,  with  its  overshadowing  cherubim  and  its  sacred 
light,  into  which  year  by  year  Eli  had  gone  alone  to 
sprinkle  the  blood  of  atonement  on  the  mercy-seat,  and 
where  he  had  solemnly  transacted  with  God  on  behalf 
of  the  people,  was  in  an  enemy's  hands !  The  ark, 
that  no  Canaanite  or  Amalekite  had  ever  touched,  on 
which  no  Midianite  or  Ammonite  had  ever  laid  his 
polluted  finger,  which  had  remained  safe  and  sure  in 


THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL. 


Israel's  custody  through  all  the  perils  of  their  journeys 
and  all  the  storms  of  battle,  was  now  torn  from  their 
grasp  !  And  there  perishes  with  it  all  the  hope  of 
Israel,  and  all  the  sacred  service  which  was  associated 
with  it ;  and  Israel  is  a  widowed,  desolate,  godless 
people,  without  hope  and  without  God  in  the  world  ; 
and  all  this  has  come  because  they  dragged  it  away 
from  its  place,  and  these  two  sons  of  mine,  now  gone 
to  their  account,  encouraged  the  profanation  ! 

*' And  it  came  to  pass,  when  he  made  mention  of  the 
ark  of  God,  that  he  fell  from  off  the  seat  backward  by 
the  side  of  the  gate,  and  his  neck  brake,  and  he  died  ; 
for  he  was  an  old  man  and  heavy.  And  he  had  judged 
Israel  forty  years." 

This  was  calamity  the  fifth  ;  but  even  yet  the  list 
was  not  exhausted.  "  His  daughter-in-law,  Phinehas' 
wife,  was  with  child,  near  to  be  delivered  ;  and  when 
she  heard  the  tidings  that  the  ark  of  God  was  taken, 
and  that  her  father-in-law  and  her  husband  were  dead, 
she  bowed  herself  and  travailed,  for  her  pains  came 
upon  her.  And  about  the  time  of  her  death  the 
women  that  stood  by  her  said  unto  her.  Fear  not,  for 
thou  hast  born  a  son.  But  she  answered  not,  neither 
did  she  regard  it.  And  she  named  the  child  Ichabod, 
saying,  The  glory  is  departed  from  Israel ;  because  the 
ark  of  God  was  taken,  and  because  of  her  father-in-law 
and  her  husband.  And  she  said,  The  glory  is  departed 
from  Israel ;  for  the  ark  of  God  is  taken." 

Poor,  good  woman  !  with  such  a  husband  she  had 
no  doubt  had  a  troubled  life.  The  spring  of  her  spirit 
had  probably  been  broken  long  ago  ;  and  what  little 
of  elasticity  yet  remained  was  all  too  little  to  bear  up 
under  such  an  overwhelming  load.  But  it  may  have 
been  her  comfort  to  live  so  near  to  the  house  of  God 


iv.]      THE  ARK  OF  GOD    TAKEN  BY  PHILISTINES.     7 


as  she  did,  and  to  be  thus  reminded  of  Him  who  had 
commanded  the  sons  of  Aaron  to  bless  the  people 
saying,  ''  The  Lord  bless  thee  and  keep  thee  ;  the  Lord 
make  His  face  shine  upon  thee  and  be  gracious  to  thee  ; 
the  Lord  lift  up  His  countenance  upon  thee  and  give 
thee  peace."  But  now  the  ark  of  God  is  taken,  its 
services  are  at  an  end,  and  the  blessing  is  gone.  The 
tribes  may  come  up  to  the  feasts  as  before,  but  not 
with  the  bright  eye  or  the  merry  shouts  of  former  days  ; 
the  bullock  may  smoke  on  the  altar,  but  where  is  the 
sanctuary  in  which  Jehovah  dwelt,  and  where  the 
mercy-seat  for  the  priest  to  sprinkle  the  blood,  and 
where  the  door  by  which  he  can  come  out  to  bless  the 
people  ?  Oh,  my  hapless  child,  what  shall  I  call  thee, 
who  hast  been  ushered  on  this  day  of  midnight  gloom 
into  a  God-forsaken  and  dishonoured  place  ?  I  will 
call  thee  Ichabod,  for  the  glory  is  departed.  The  glory 
is  departed  from  Israel,  for  the  ark  of  God  is  taken. 

What  an  awful  impression  these  scenes  convey  to  us 
of  the  overpowering  desolation  that  comes  to  believing 
souls   with  the   feeling  that    God  has   taken    His  de- 
parture.    Tell  us  that  the  sun  is  no  longer  to  shine  ; 
tell  us  that  neither  dew  nor  rain  shall  ever  fall  again 
to  refresh  the  earth;  tell  us  that  a  cruel  and  savage 
nation   is   to  reign  unchecked  and  unchallenged  over 
all   the   families  of  a   people   once    free    and    happy ; 
you  convey  no  such  image  of  desolation  as  when  you 
tell  tD  pious  hearts  that  God  has  departed  from  their 
community.     Let   us  learn  the  obvious   lesson,  to  do 
nothing  to  provoke  such  a  calamity.     It  is  only  when 
resisted    and    dishonoured    that    the    Spirit    of    God 
departs — only  when  He  is  driven  away.     Oh,  beware 
of    everything    that    grieves     Him — everything    that 
interferes  with    His   gracious    action   on   your   souls. 


72  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL, 

Beware  of  all  that  would  lead  God  to  say,  *'  I  will 
go  and  return  to  My  place,  till  they  acknowledge  their 
offence  and  seek  My  face."  Let  our  prayer  be  the 
cry  of  David  : — '^  Cast  me  not  away  from  Thy  presence^ 
and  take  not  Thy  Holy  Spirit  from  me.  Restore  unto 
me  the  joy  of  Thy  salvation,  and  uphold  me  with  Thy 
free  Spirit" 


CHAPTER  VII. 

THE  ARK  AMONG   THE  PHILISTINES, 
I  Samuel  v.,  vL 

ALTHOUGH  the  history  in  Samuel  is  silent  as  to 
the  doings  of  the  Philistines  immediately  after 
their  great  victory  over  Israel,  yet  we  learn  from 
other  parts  of  the  Bible  (Psalm  Ixxviii.  60-64 )  Jere- 
miah vii.  12,  xxvi.  9)  that  they  proceeded  to  Shiloh, 
massacred  the  priests,  wrecked  the  city,  and  left  it  a 
monument  of  desolation,  as  it  continued  to  be  ever  after. 
Probably  this  was  considered  an  appropriate  sequel  to 
the  capture  of  the  ark — a  fitting  mode  of  completing 
and  commemorating  their  victory  over  the  national  God 
of  the  Hebrews.  For  we  may  well  believe  that  it  was 
this  unprecedented  feature  of  their  success  that  was 
uppermost  in  the  Philistines'  mind.  The  prevalent  idea 
among  the  surrounding  nations  regarding  the  God  of 
the  Hebrews  was  that  He  was  a  God  of  exceeding 
power.  The  wonders  done  by  Him  in  Egypt  still  filled 
the  popular  imagination  (ch.  vi.  6)  ;  the  strong  hand 
and  the  outstretched  arm  with  which  He  had  driven 
out  the  seven  nations  of  Canaan  and  prepared  the 
way  for  His  people  were  not  forgotten.  Neither  in 
more  recent  conflicts  had  any  of  the  surrounding 
nations  obtained  the  slightest  advantage  over  Him. 
It  was  in  His  name  that  Barak  and  Deborah  had  de- 


74  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL. 

feated  the  Canaanites  ;  it  was  the  sword  of  the  Lord  and 
of  Gideon  that  had  thrown  such  consternation  into 
the  hearts  of  the  Midianites.  But  now  the  tide  was 
completely  turned ;  not  only  had  the  Hebrew  God 
failed  to  protect  His  people,  but  ruin  had  come  on  both 
Him  and  them,  and  His  very  sanctuary  was  in  Philistine 
hands.  No  wonder  the  Philistines  were  marvellously 
elated  Let  us  sweep  from  the  face  of  the  earth  every 
trace  and  memorial  of  His  worship,  was  their  cry.  Let 
us  inflict  such  humiliation  on  the  spot  sacred  to  His 
name  that  never  again  shall  His  worshippers  be  able 
to  regain  their  courage  and  lift  up  their  heads,  and 
neither  we  nor  our  children  shall  tremble  any  more 
at  the  mention  of  His  terrible  deeds. 

We  have  not  one  word  about  Samuel  in  connection 
with  all  this.  The  news  from  the  battlefield,  followed 
by  the  death  of  Eli  and  of  the  wife  of  Phinehas,  must 
have  been  a  terrible  blow  to  him.  But  besides  being 
calm  of  nature  (as  his  bearing  showed  after  he  got  the 
message  about  Eli's  house),  he  was  habitually  in  fellow- 
ship with  God,  and  in  this  habit  enjoyed  a  great  help 
towards  self-possession  and  promptitude  of  action  in 
sudden  emergencies  and  perplexities.  That  the  ill- 
advised  scheme  for  carrying  the  ark  into  battle  implied 
any  real  hum.iliation  of  the  God  of  Israel,  or  would 
have  any  evil  effect  on  the  covenant  sworn  to  Abraham, 
Isaac,  and  Jacob,  he  could  not  for  a  moment  suppose. 
But  the  confusion  and  trouble  that  would  arise,  especially 
if  the  Philistines  advanced  upon  Shiloh,  was  a  very 
serious  consideration.  There  was  much  left  at  Shiloh 
which  needed  to  be  cared  for.  There  were  sacred 
vessels,  and  possibly  national  records,  which  must  not  be 
allowed  to  fall  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy.  By  what 
means  Samuel  was  able  to  secure  the  safety  of  these ; 


v.,  vi.]        THE  ARK  AMONG   THE  PHILISTINES.  75 

by  what  means  he  secured  his  own  personal  safety  when 
"  the  priests  fell  by  the  sword  "  (Psalm  Ixxviii.  64)^ 
we  cannot  say.  But  the  Lord  was  with  Samuel,  and 
even  in  this  hour  of  national  horror  He  directed  his 
proceedings,  and  established  upon  him  the  work  of  his 
hands. 

The  fact  to  which  we  have  drawn  attention,  that  it 
was  over  the  God  of  Israel  that  the  Philistines  had 
triumphed,  is  the  key  to  the  transactions  recorded  so 
minutely  in  the  fifth  and  sixth  chapters.  The  great 
object  of  these  chapters  is  to  show  how  God  undeceived 
the  Philistines  on  this  all-important  point.  He  unde- 
ceived them  in  a  very  quiet,  undemonstrative  manner. 
On  certain  occasions  God  impresses  men  by  His  great 
agencies, — by  fire  and  earthquake  and  tempest,  by 
"  stormy  wind  fulfilling  His  word."  But  these  are  not 
needed  on  this  occasion.  Agencies  much  less  striking 
will  do  the  work.  God  will  recover  His  name  and  fame 
among  the  nations  by  much  humbler  forces.  By  the 
most  trifling  exertion  of  His  power,  these  Philistines 
will  be  brought  to  their  wit's  end,  and  all  the  wisdom 
of  their  wisest  men  and  all  the  craft  of  their  most 
cunning  priests  will  be  needed  to  devise  some  pro- 
pitiation for  One  who  is  infinitely  too  strong  for  them, 
and  to  prevent  their  country  from  being  brought  to  ruin 
by  the  silent  working  of  His  resistless  power. 

I.  First  of  all,  the  ark  is  carried  to  Ashdod,  where 
stood  the  great  temple  of  their  God,  Dagon.  It  is 
placed  within  the  precincts  of  the  temple,  in  some  place 
of  subordination,  doubtless,  to  the  place  of  the  idol. 
Perhaps  the  expectation  of  the  Philistines  was  that  in 
the  exercise  of  his  supernatural  might  their  god  would 
bring  about  the  mutilation  or  destruction  of  the  Hebrew 
symbol.     The  morning  showed  another  sight.     It  was 


76  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL, 

Dagon  that  was  humiliated  before  the  ark — fallen  tc 
the  ground  upon  his  face.  Next  day  a  worse  humilia- 
tion had  befallen  him.  Besides  having  fallen,  his  head 
and  hands  were  severed  from  the  image,  and  only  the 
stump  remained.  And  besides  this,  the  people  were 
suffering  extensively  from  a  painful  disease,  emerods 
or  hemorrhoids,  and  this  too  was  ascribed  to  the 
influence  of  the  God  of  the  Hebrews.  The  people  of 
Ashdod  had  no  desire  to  prolong  the  contest.  They 
gathered  the  lords  of  the  Philistines  and  asked  what 
was  to  be  done.  The  lords  probably  concluded  that  it 
was  a  case  of  mere  local  ill-luck.  But  what  had 
happened  at  Ashdod  would  not  happen  elsewhere. 
Let  the  ark  be  carried  to  Gath. 

2.  To  Gath,  accordingly,  the  ark  is  brought.  But  no 
sooner  is  it  there  than  the  disease  that  had  broken  out 
at  Ashdod  falls  upon  the  Gittites,  and  the  mortality  is 
terrible.  The  people  of  Gath  are  in  too  great  haste  to 
call  again  on  the  lords  of  the  Phihstines  to  say  what  is 
to  be  done.     They  simply  carry  the  ark  to  Ekron. 

3.  And  little  welcom.e  it  gets  from  the  Ekronites.  It 
is  now  recognised  as  the  symbol  of  an  angry  God, 
whose  power  to  punish  and  to  destroy  is  unlimited. 
The  Ekronites  are  indignant  at  the  people  of  Gath. 
"  They  have  brought  about  the  ark  of  the  God  of  Israel 
to  us,  to  slay  us  and  our  people."  The  destruction  at 
Ekron  seems  to  have  been  more  awful  than  at  the 
other  places — "  The  cry  of  the  city  went  up  to  heaven." 
The  lords  of  the  Philistines  are  again  convened,  to 
deliberate  over  the  failure  of  their  last  advice.  There 
is  no  use  trying  any  other  place  in  the  country.  The 
idea  of  local  ill-luck  is  preposterous.  Let  it  go  again 
to  its  own  place !  is  the  cry.  Alas  that  we  have  de- 
stroyed Shiloh,  for  where  can  we  send  it  now  ?     We  can 


v.vi.j        THE  ARK  AMONG   THE  PHILISTINES.  77 

risk  no  further  mistakes.  Let  u^;  convene  the  priests 
and  the  diviners  to  determine  how  it  is  to  be  got  quit  of, 
and  vv'ith  what  gifts  or  offerings  it  is  to  be  accompanied. 
Would  only  we  had  never  touched  it ! 

The  priests  and  the  diviners  give  a  full  answer  on 
all  the  points  submitted  to  them.  First,  the  ark  when 
sent  away  must  contain  an  offering,  in  order  to  pro- 
pitiate the  Hebrew  God  for  the  insults  heaped  on  Him. 
The  offering  was  to  be  in  the  form  of  golden  emerods 
and  golden  mice.  It  would  appear  that  in  addition  to 
the  disease  that  had  broken  out  on  the  bodies  of  the 
people  they  had  had  in  their  fields  the  plague  of  mice. 
These  field-mice  bred  with  amazing  rapidity,  and  some- 
times consumicd  the  whole  produce  of  the  field.  There 
is  a  slight  difficulty  about  numbers  here.  There  are 
to  be  five  golden  emerods  and  five  golden  mice,  accord- 
ing to  the  number  of  the  lords  of  the  Philistines 
(vi.  3)  ;  but  it  is  said  after  (ver.  18)  that  the  number 
of  the  golden  m.ice  was  according  to  the  number  of 
all  the  cities  of  the  Philistines  belonging  to  the  five 
lords,  both  of  fenced  cities  and  country  villages.  It 
is  surmised,  however,  that  (as  in  the  Septuagint)  the 
number  five  should  not  be  repeated  in  the  middle 
of  the  first  passage  (vi.  4,  5),  but  that  it  should  run, 
"  five  golden  emerods,  according  to  the  number  of 
the  lords  of  the  Philistines,  and  golden  mice,  images 
of  the  mice  that  destroy  the  land."  The  idea  of 
presenting  offerings  to  the  gods  corresponding  with  the 
object  in  connection  with  which  they  were  presented 
was  often  given  effect  to  by  heathen  nations.  "  Those 
saved  from  shipwreck  offered  pictures  of  the  shipwreck, 
or  of  the  clothes  which  they  had  on  at  the  time,  in  the 
Temple  of  Isis;  slaves  and  captives,  in  gratitude  for  the 
recovery  of  their  Hberty,  offered  chains  tg  the  Lares; 


78  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL, 

retired  gladiators,  their  arms  to  Hercules ;  and  in  the 
fifth  century  a  custom  prevailed  among  Christians  of 
offering  in  their  churches  gold  or  silver  hands,  feet, 
eyes,  etc.,  in  return  for  cures  effected  in  those  members 
respectively  in  answer  to  prayer.  This  was  probably  a 
heathen  custom  transferred  into  the  Christian  Church ; 
for  a  similar  usage  is  still  found  among  the  heathen  in 
India  "  (Speaker  s  Commentary). 

4.  Next,  as  to  the  manner  in  which  the  ark  was  to  be 
sent  away.  A  new  cart  was  to  be  made,  and  two  milch 
cows  which  had  never  been  in  harness  before  were  to 
be  fastened  to  the  cart.  This  was  to  be  out  of  respect 
to  the  God  of  Israel ;  new  things  were  counted  more 
honourable,  as  our  Lord  rode  on  a  colt  "whereon  never 
man  had  yet  sat,"  and  His  body  v/as  laid  in  a  new 
sepulchre.  The  cows  were  to  be  left  without  guidance 
to  determine  their  path ;  if  they  took  the  road  to  Judea, 
the  road  up  the  valley  to  Bethshemesh,  that  would  be 
a  token  that  all  their  trouble  had  come  from  the  God  of 
the  Hebrews ;  but  if  the}^  took  any  other  road,  the  road 
to  any  place  in  the  Philistine  country,  that  would  prove 
that  there  had  only  been  a  coincidence,  and  no  relation 
of  cause  and  effect  between  the  capture  of  the  ark  and 
the  evils  that  had  befallen  them.  It  was  the  principle 
of  the  lot  applied  to  determine  a  grave  moral  question. 
It  was  a  method  which,  in  the  absence  of  better  light, 
men  were  ready  enough  to  resort  to  in  those  times, 
and  which  on  one  memorable  occasion  was  resorted 
to  in  the  early  Christian  Church  (Acts  i.).  The  much 
fuller  light  which  God  has  given  men  on  moral  and 
religious  questions  greatly  restricts,  if  it  does  not  indeed 
abolish,  the  lawful  occasions  of  resorting  to  such  a 
method.  If  it  be  ever  lawful,  it  can  only  be  so  in  the 
exercise  of  a  devout  and  solemn  spirit,  for  the  apostle^ 


v.,vi.]        THE  ARK  AMONG   THE  PHILISTINES,  79 

did  not  make  use  of  it  by  itself,  but  only  after  earnest 
prayer  that  God  would  make  the  lot  the  instrument  of 
making  known  His  will. 

At  last  the  ark  leaves  the  land  of  the  Philistines. 
For  seven  terrible  months  it  had  spread  among  them 
anxiety,  terror,  and  'death.  Nothing  but  utter  ruin 
seemed  likely  to  spring  from  a  longer  residence  of  the 
ark  in  their  territories.  Glad  were  they  to  get  rid  of  it, 
golden  emerods,  golden  mice,  new  cart,  milch  kine,  and 
all.  We  are  reminded  of  a  scene  in  Gospel  history, 
that  took  place  at  Gadara  after  the  devils  drove  the 
herd  of  swine  over  the  cliff  into  the  lake.  The  people 
of  the  place  besought  Jesus  to  depart  out  of  their  coasts. 
It  is  a  solemn  truth  that  there  are  aspects  of  God's 
character,  aspects  of  the  Saviour's  character,  in  which 
He  is  only  a  terror  and  a  trouble.  These  are  the 
aspects  in  which  God  is  seen  opposed  to  what  men 
love  and  prize,  tearing  their  treasures  away  from  them, 
or  tearing  them  away  from  their  treasures.  It  is  an 
awful  thing  to  know  God  in  these  aspects  alone.  Yet 
it  is  the  aspect  in  Vv^hich  God  usually  appears  to  the 
sinner.  It  is  the  aspect  in  which  our  consciences  pre- 
sent Him  when  we  are  conscious  of  having  incurred  His 
displeasure.  And  while  man  remains  a  sinner  and  in 
love  with  his  sin,  he  may  try  to  disguise  the  solemn  fact 
to  his  own  mind,  but  it  is  nevertheless  true  that  his 
secret  desire  is  to  get  rid  of  God.  As  the  apostle  puts 
it,  he  does  not  like  to  retain  God  in  his  knowledge 
(Rom.  i.  28).  He  says  to  God,  "  Depart  from  us,  for 
we  desire  not  the  knowledge  of  Thy  ways  "  (Job  xxi.  14). 
Nay,  he  goes  a  step  further — "  The  fool  hath  said  in 
his  heart,  There  is  no  God "  (Ps.  xiv.  l).  Where 
he  still  makes  some  acknowledgment  of  Him,  he  may 
try  to  propitiate  Him  by  offerings,  and  to  make  up  for 


8o  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL, 

he  transgressions  he  commits  in  some  things  by  acts 
of  will-worship,  or  voluntary  humiliation  in  other 
things.  But  alas  !  of  how  large  a  portion  even  of  men 
in  Christian  lands  is  it  true  .hat  th^y  do  not  love  God. 
Their  hearts  have  no  yearning  for  Ilim.  The  thought 
of  Him  is  a  disturbing,  uncomfortable  element.  Heart 
communion  with  Him  is  a  difficulty  not  to  be  over- 
come. Forms  of  worship  that  leave  the  heart  un- 
exercised are  a  great  relief.  Worship  performed  by 
choirs  and  instruments  and  aesthetic  rules  comes  wel- 
come as  a  substitute  for  the  intercourse  and  homage  of 
the  soul.  Could  anything  demonstrate  more  clearly 
the  need  of  a  great  spiritual  change  ?  What  but  the 
vision  of  God  in  Christ  reconciling  the  world  to  Himself 
can  effect  it  ?  And  even  the  glorious  truths  of  re- 
demption are  not  in  themselves  efficacious.  The  seed 
needs  to  fall  on  good  soil.  He  that  commanded  the 
light  to  shine  out  of  darkness  must  shine  in  our  minds 
to  give  the  light  of  the  glory  of  God  in  the  face  of  His 
Anointed.  But  surely  it  is  a  great  step  towards  this 
change  to  feel  the  need  of  it.  The  heart  that  is  honest 
with  God,  and  that  says,  "O  God  Almighty,  I  do  not  love 
Thee,  I  am  not  happy  in  Thy  presence,  I  like  life  better 
without  Thee ;  but  I  am  convinced  that  this  is  a  most 
wretched  condition,  and  most  sinful.  Wilt  Thou,  in  in- 
finite mercy,  have  compassion  on  me  ?  Wilt  Thou  so 
change  me  that  I  may  come  to  love  Thee,  to  love  Thy 
company,  to  welcome  the  thought  of  Thee,  and  to  wor- 
ship Thee  in  spirit  and  in  truth  ?  " — such  a  heart,  ex- 
pressing itself  thus,  will  surely  not  be  forsaken.  How 
long  it  may  be  ere  its  quest  is  granted  we  cannot  tell ; 
but  surely  the  day  will  come  when  the  new  song  shall 
be  put  in  its  mouth — "  Bless  the  Lord,  O  my  soul,  and 
forget  not  all   His  benefits.     Who   forgiveth  all  thine 


v.,vi.]       THE   ARK  AMONG    THE   PHILISTINES.  81 


iniquities;  who  1-ealeth  all  thy  diseases ;  who  redeemeth 
thy  life  from  destruction,  who  crowneth  thee  with 
loving-kindness  and  tender  mercies ;  who  satisfieth  thy 
mouth  with  good  things,  so  that  thy  youth  is  renewed 
like  the  eagle's." 

5.  And  now  the  ark  has  reached  Bethshemesh,  in 
the  tribe  of  Judah.  The  lords  of  the  Philistines  have 
followed  it,  watching  it,  as  Miriam  watched  her  infant 
brother  on  the  Nile,  to  see  what  would  become  of  it. 
Nor  do  they  turn  back  till  they  have  seen  the  men  of 
Bethshemesh  welcome  it,  till  they  have  seen  the  Levites 
take  it  down  from  the  cart,  till  they  have  seen  the  cart 
cleft,  and  the  cows  offered  as  a  trespass  offering,  and 
till  they  have  seen  their  own  golden  jewels,  along  with 
the  burnt-offerings  and  sacrifices  of  the  people  of 
Bethshemesh,  presented  in  due  form  to  the  Lord. 

Thus  far  all  goes  well  at  Bethshemesh.  The  ark  is 
on  Hebrew  soil.  The  people  there  have  no  fear 
either  of  the  emerods  or  of  the  mice  that  so  terribly 
distressed  their  Philistine  neighbours.  After  a  time 
of  great  depression  the  sun  is  beginning  to  smile  on 
Israel  again.  The  men  of  Bethshemesh  are  reaping 
their  barley-harvest — that  is  one  mercy  from  God. 
And  here  most  unexpectedly  appears  the  sight  that 
of  all  possible  sights  was  the  most  welcome  to  their 
eyes ;  here,  unhurt  and  unriflcd,  is  the  ark  of  the 
covenant  that  had  been  given  up  for  lost,  despaired 
of  probably,  even  by  its  most  ardent  friends.  How 
could  Israel  hope  to  gain  possession  of  that  ap- 
parently insignificant  box  except  by  an  invasion  of 
the  Philistines  in  overwhelming  force — in  such  force 
as  a  nation  that  had  but  lately  lost  thirty  thousand  men 
was  not  able  to  command  ?  And  even  if  such  an 
overwhelming  expedition    were   to   be   arranged,   how 

VOL.   I.  6 


82  THE  FIRST  BOOK    OF  SAMUEL. 

easy  would  it  not  be  for  the  Philistines  to  burn  the 
ark,  and  thus  annihilate  the  very  thing  to  recover 
which  the  war  was  undertaken  ?  Yet  here  is  the  ark 
back  without  the  intervention  of  a  single  soldier.  No 
ransom  has  been  given  for  it,  no  blow  struck,  nothing 
promised,  nothing  threatened.  Here  it  comes,  as  if 
unseen  angels  had  fetched  it,  with  its  precious  treasures 
and  still  more  precious  memories  just  as  before  !  It 
was  like  a  foreshadow  of  the  return  from  the  captivity 
— an  experience  that  might  have  found  expression  in 
the  words,  '^  When  the  Lord  turned  again  the  captivity 
of  Zion,  we  were  like  them  that  dream." 

Happy  men  of  Bethshemesh,  for  whom  God  prepared 
so  delightful  a  surprise.  Truly  He  is  able  to  do  in  us 
exceeding  abundantly  above  all  that  we  ask  or  think. 
How  unsearchable  are  His  judgments,  and  His  ways 
past  finding  out !  Never  let  us  despair  of  God,  or  of 
any  cause  with  which  He  is  identified.  ''  Rest  in  the 
Lord  and  wait  patiently  for  Him  ;  "  "  The  Lord  bringeth 
the  counsel  of  the  heathen  to  nought ;  He  maketh  the 
devices  of  the  people  of  none  effect.  The  counsel  of 
the  Lord  standeth  for  ever,  and  the  thoughts  of  His 
heart  to  all  generations." 

But  alas  I  the  men  of  Bethshemesh  did  not  act 
according  to  the  benefit  received.  Their  curiosity 
prevailed  above  their  reverence :  they  looked  into  the 
ark  of  the  Lord.  As  if  the  sacred  vessel  had  not  had 
enough  of  indignity  in  the  din  of  battle,  in  the  temples 
of  the  uncircumcised  Philistines,  jmd  in  the  cart  drawn 
by  the  kine,  they  must  expose  it  to  a  yet  further 
profanation  !  Alas  for  them  !  their  curiosity  prevailed 
over  their  reverence.  And  for  this  they  had  to  pay  a 
terrible  penalty.  "  The  Lord  smote  of  the  men  of 
Bethshemesh  fifty  thousand  and  three  score  and  ten 


v.,  /i.J        THE  ARK  AMONG   THE  PHILISTINES,  83 


men."  It  is  the  general  opinion,  however,  that  an 
error  has  slipped  into  the  text  that  makes  the  deaths 
amount  to  fifty  thousand  threescore  and  ten.  Beth- 
shemesh  was  never  more  than  a  village  or  little 
town,  and  could  not  have  had  anything  like  so  great  a 
population.  Probably  the  threescore  and  ten,  without 
the  fifty  thousand,  is  all  that  was  originally  in  the  text. 
Even  that  would  be  ''  a  great  slaughter  "  in  the  popula- 
tion of  a  little  town.  It  was  a  very  sad  thing  that  an 
event  so  joyous  should  be  clouded  by  such  a  judgment. 
But  how  often  are  times  and  scenes  which  God  has 
made  very  bright  marred  by  the  folly  and  recklessness 
of  men ! 

The  prying  men  of  Bethshemesh  have  had  their 
counterparts  many  a  time  in  more  recent  days.  Many 
men,  with  strong  theological  proclivities,  have  evince, ^ 
a  strong  desire  to  pry  into  the  ''secret  things  which 
belong  to  the  Lord  our  God."  Foreknowledge,  elec- 
tion, free  will,  sin's  punishment — men  have  often  forgot 
that  there  is  much  in  such  subjects  that  exceeds  the 
capacity  of  the  human  mind,  and  that  as  God  has 
shown  reserve  in  what  He  has  revealed  about  them, 
so  men  ought  to  show  a  holy  modesty  in  their  mannei 
of  treating  them.  And  even  in  the  handling  of  sacred 
things  generally,  in  the  way  of  theological  discussion, 
a  want  of  reverence  has  very  often  been  shown.  It 
becomes  us  all  most  carefully  to  beware  of  abusing 
the  gracious  condescension  which  God  has  shown  in 
His  revelation,  and  in  the  use  which  He  designs  us  to 
make  of  it.  It  was  an  excellent  rule  a  foreign  theologian 
laid  down  for  himself,  to  keep  up  the  spirit  of  reverence 
— never  to  speak  of  God  without  speaking  to  God. 

God  has  drawn  very  near  to  us  in  Christ,  and  given 
to   all  that   accept   of  Him   the   place   and   privileges 


84  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL. 

of  children.  He  allows  us  to  come  very  near  to  Him 
in  prayer.  "  In  everything,"  He  says,  "  by  prayer 
and  supplication  with  thanksgiving  make  your  requests 
known  unto  God."  But  while  we  gratefully  accept 
these  privileges,  and  while  m  the  enjoyment  of  them 
we  become  very  intimate  with  God,  never  let  us  forget 
the  infinite  distance  between  us,  and  the  infinite  con- 
descension manifested  in  His  allowing  us  to  enter  into 
the  holiest  of  all.  Never  let  us  forget  that  in  His  sight 
we  are  "  as  dust  and  ashes,"  unworthy  to  lift  up  our 
eyes  to  the  place  where  His  honour  dwelleth.  To 
combine  reverence  and  intimacy  in  our  dealings  with 
God, — the  profoundest  reverence  with  the  closest 
intimacy,  is  to  realise  the  highest  ideal  of  worship. 
God  Himself  would  have  us  remember,  in  our  ap- 
proaches to  Him,  that  He  is  in  heaven  and  we  on 
the  earth.  "  Thus  saith  the  High  and  Lofty  One  that 
inhabiteth  Eternity  and  whose  name  is  holy,  I  dwell 
in  the  high  and  holy  place,  but  with  him  also  who  is  of 
a  contrite  and  humble  spirit,  to  revive  the  spirit  of  the 
humble,  and  to  revive  the  hearts  of  the  contrite  ones." 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

REPENTANCE  AND  REVIVAL, 

I  Samuel  vii.  1-9. 

WITH  the  men  of  Bethshemesh  the  presence  of  the 
ark  had  become  the  same  terror  as  it  had  been 
successively  at  Ashdod,  Gath,  and  Ekron.  Instead  of 
the  savour  of  life  to  life,  it  had  proved  a  savour  of  death 
to  death.  Instead  of  a  chief  cornerstone,  elect,  precious, 
it  had  become  a  stone  of  stumbling  and  a  rock  of  offence. 
They  sent  therefore  to  their  neighbours  at  Kirjath- 
jearim,  and  begged  them  to  come  down  and  remove  the 
ark.  This  they  readily  did.  More  timid  men  might 
have  said,  The  ark  has  brought  nothing  but  disaster  in 
its  train  ;  we  will  have  nothing  to  do  with  it.  There 
was  faith  and  loyalty  to  God  shown  in  their  readiness 
to  give  accommodation  to  it  within  their  bounds. 
Deeming  a  high  place  to  be  the  kind  of  situation  where 
it  should  rest,  they  selected  the  house  of  Abinadab  in 
the  hill,  he  being  probably  a  Levite.  To  keep  the  ark 
they  set  apart  his  son  Eleazar,  whose  name  seems  to 
indicate  that  he  was  of  the  house  of  Aaron.  They 
seem  to  have  done  all  they  could,  and  with  due  regard 
to  the  requirements  of  the  law,  for  the  custody  of  the 
sacred  symbol.  But  Kirjath-jearim  was  not  turned 
into  the  seat  of  the  national  worship.  There  is  no 
word   of  sacrificial  or  other  services  being  performed 


86  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL. 

there.  There  is  nothing  to  indicate  that  the  annual 
feasts  were  held  at  this  place.  The  ark  had  a  resting- 
place  there — nothing  more. 

And  this  lasted  for  twenty  years.  It  was  a  long  and 
dreary  time.  A  rude  shock  had  been  given  to  the 
sacred  customs  of  the  people,  and  the  comely  order  of 
the  Divine  service  among  them.  The  ark  and  the  other 
sacred  vessels  were  separated  from  each  other.  If,  as 
seems  likely  (i  Sam.  xxi.),  the  daily  offerings  and  other 
sacred  services  ordained  by  Moses  were  offered  at  this 
time  at  Nob,  a  sense  of  imperfection  could  not  but  belong 
to  them,  for  the  ark  of  the  covenant  was  not  there. 
Incompleteness  would  attach  to  any  public  rites  that 
might  now  be  celebrated.  The  service  of  Baal  and 
Ashtaroth  would  have  a  less  powerful  rival  than  when 
the  service  of  Jehovah  was  conducted  in  all  due  form 
and  regularity  at  Shiloh.  During  these  years  the  nation 
seems  to  have  been  somewhat  listless  on  the  subject^ 
and  to  have  made  no  effort  to  remove  the  ark  to  a  men 
suitable  place.  Kirjath-jearim  was  not  in  the  centre,  bui 
on  the  very  edge  of  the  country,  looking  down  into  the 
territory  of  the  Philistines,  not  far  from  the  very  cities 
where  the  ark  had  been  in  captivity,  a  constant  remindei 
to  the  Israelites  of  its  degradation.  That  Samuel  was 
profoundly  concerned  about  all  this  we  cannot  doubt. 
But  he  seems  to  have  made  no  effort  to  remedy  it,  most 
probably  because  he  knew  it  to  be  God's  order  first 
to  make  the  people  sensible  of  their  wickednes3,  and 
only  thereafter  to  restore  to  them  free  access  to 
Himself. 

What  then  was  Samuel  doing  during  the  twenty  years 
that  the  ark  was  at  Kirjath-jearim  ?  We  can  answer 
that  question  only  conjecturally,  only  from  what  we 
know  o{  his  general  character.     It  cannot  be  doubted 


vil.  1.9.]  REPENTANCE  AND  REVIVAL,  87 

that  in  some  way  or  other  he  was  trying  to  make 
the  nation  sensible  of  their  sins  against  God  ;  to 
show  them  that  it  was  to  these  sins  that  their  sub- 
jection to  the  PhiHstines  was  due  ;  and  to  urge  them 
to  abandon  their  idolatrous  practices  if  they  desired  a 
return  to  independence  and  peace.  Perhaps  he  began 
at  this  period  to  move  about  from  place  to  place,  urging 
those  views,  as  he  moved  about  afterwards  when  he 
held  the  office  of  Judge  (vii.  16).  And  perhaps  he  was 
laying  the  foundations  of  those  schools  of  the  prophets 
Uiat  afterwards  were  associated  with  his  name.  When- 
xiver  he  found  young  men  disposed  to  his  views  he 
would  doubtless  cultivate  their  acquaintance,  and  urge 
them  to  steadfastness  and  progress  in  the  way  of  the 
Lord.  There  is  nothing  said  to  indicate  that  Samuel 
was  connected  with  the  priestly  establishment  at 
Nob. 

There  are  two  great  services  for  God  and  for  Israel 
in  which  we  find  Samuel  engaged  in  the  first  nine 
verses  of  this  chapter  :  i.  In  exhorting  and  directing 
them  with  a  view  to  bring  them  into  a  right  state  before 
God.  2.  This  being  accomplished,  in  praying  for 
them  in  their  time  of  trouble,  and  obtaining  Divine 
help  when  the  Philistines  drew  near  in  battle. 

I.  In  the  course  of  time  the  people  appear  to  have 
come  to  feel  how  sad  and  desolate  their  national  life 
was  without  any  tokens  of  God's  presence  and  grace. 
"All  the  house  of  Israel  lamented  after  the  Lord." 
The  expression  is  a  peculiar  one,  and  some  critics,  not 
understanding  its  spiritual  import,  have  proposed  to 
give  it  a  different  meaning.  But  for  this  there  is  no 
cause.  It  seems  to  denote  that  the  people,  missing 
God,  under  the  severe  oppression  of  the  Philistines, 
had  begun  to  grieve  o  ^er  the  sins  that  had  driven  Him 


88  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL, 

away,  and  to  long  after  Him,  to  long  for  His  return. 
These  symptoms  of  repentance,  however,  had  not  shown 
themselves  in  a  very  definite  or  practical  form.  Samuel 
was  not  satisfied  with  the  amount  of  earnestness  evinced 
as  yet.  He  must  have  more  decided  evidence  of 
sincerity  and  repentance.  He  insisted  on  it  that  they 
must  "  put  away  the  strange  gods  and  Ashtaroth  from 
among  them,  and  prepare  their  hearts  unto  the  Lord 
and  serve  Him  only." 

Now  the  putting  away  of  the  strange  gods  and 
Ashtaroth  was  a  harder  condition  than  we  at  first 
should  suppose.  Some  are  inclined  to  fancy  that  it  was 
a  mere  senseless  and  ridiculous  obstinacy  that  drew  the 
Israelites  so  much  to  the  worship  of  the  idolatrous 
gods  of  their  neighbours.  In  reality  the  temptation 
was  of  a  much  more  subtle  kind.  Their  religious  wor- 
ship as  prescribed  by  Moses  had  Httle  to  attract  the 
natural  feelings  of  the  human  heart.  It  was  simple,  it 
was  severe,  it  was  self-denying.  The  worship  of  the 
pagan  nations  was  more  lively  and  attractive.  Fashion- 
able entertainments  and  free-and-easy  revelries  were 
superadded  to  please  the  carnal  mind.  Between 
Hebrew  and  heathen  worship,  there  Vvas  something  of 
the  contrast  that  you  find  between  the  severe  simplicity 
of  a  Puritan  meeting  and  the  gorgeous  and  fashionable 
splendour  of  a  great  Romish  ceremonial.  To  put  away 
Baalim  and  Ashtaroth  was  to  abjure  what  was  fashion- 
able and  agreeable,  and  fall  back  on  what  was  unat- 
tractive and  sombre.  Was  it  not,  too,  an  illiberal 
demand  ?  Was  it  not  a  sign  of  narrowness  to  be  so 
exclusively  devoted  to  their  own  religion  that  they 
could  view  that  of  their  neighbours  with  no  sort  of 
pleasure  ?  Why  not  acknowledge  that  in  other  religions 
there  was  an  element  of  good,  that  the  services  in  them 


vii.  1-9.]  REPENTANCE  AND  REVIVAL.  89 

were  the  expression  of  a  profound  religious  sentiment, 
and  were  therefore  entitled  to  a  measure  of  praise  and 
approval  ?  It  is  very  certain  that  with  this  favourite 
view  of  modern  liberalism  neither  Samuel  nor  any  of 
the  prophets  had  the  slightest  sympathy.  No,  If  the 
people  were  in  earnest  novv^,  they  must  show  it  by 
putting  away  every  image  and  every  object  and  orna- 
ment that  was  connected  with  the  worship  of  other 
gods.  Jehovah  would  have  their  homage  on  no  other 
terms.  If  they  chose  to  divide  it  between  Him  and 
other  gods,  they  might  call  on  them  for  help  and  bless- 
ing; for  it  was  most  certain  that  the  God  of  Israel 
would  receive  no  worship  that  was  not  rendered  to 
Him  alone. 

But  the  people  were  in  earnest ;  and  this  first 
demand  of  Samuel  was  complied  with.  We  are  to 
remember  that  the  people  of  Israel,  in  their  typical 
significance,  stand  for  those  who  are  by  grace  in 
covenant  with  God,  and  that  their  times  of  degeneracy 
represent,  in  the  case  of  Christians,  seasons  of  spiritual 
backsliding,  when  the  things  of  this  world  are  too 
keenly  sought,  when  the  fellowship  of  the  world  is 
habitually  resorted  to,  when  the  soul  loses  its  spiritual 
appetite,  and  religious  services  become  formal  and  cold. 
Does  there  begin  to  dawn  on  such  a  soul  a  sense  of 
spiritual  poverty  and  loneliness  ?  Does  the  spirit  of 
the  hymn  begin  to  breathe  from  it — 

"  Return,  O  holy  Dove,  return, 
Sweet  Messenger  of  rest  I 
I  hate  the  sins  that  made  Thee  mourn 
And  drove  Thee  from  my  breast" 

Then  the  first  steps  towards  revival  and  communion 
must  be  the  forsaking  of  these  sins,  and   of  ways  of 


90  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OP  SAMUEL, 

life  that  prepare  the  way  for  them.  The  sorrow  for  sin 
that  is  working  in  the  conscience  is  the  work  of  the 
Holy  Ghost ;  and  if  the  Holy  Ghost  be  resisted  in 
this  His  first  operation — if  the  sins,  or  ways  toward  sin, 
against  which  He  has  given  His  warning  be  persisted 
in,  the  Spirit  is  grieved  and  His  work  is  stopped.  The 
Spirit  calls  us  to  set  our  hearts  against  these  sins,  and 
"prepare  them  unto  the  Lord." 

Let  us  mark  carefully  this  last  expression.  It  is  not 
enough  that  in  church,  or  at  some  meeting,  or  in  our 
closet,  we  experience  a  painful  conviction  how  much 
we  have  offended  God,  and  a  desire  not  to  offend  Him 
in  like  manner  any  more.  We  must  "  prepare  our 
hearts  "  for  this  end.  We  must  remember  that  in  the 
world  with  which  we  mingle  we  are  exposed  to  many 
influences  that  remove  God  from  our  thoughts,  that 
stimulate  our  infirmities,  that  give  force  to  temptation, 
that  lessen  our  power  of  resistance,  that  tend  to  draw 
us  back  into  our  old  sins.  One  who  has  a  tendency  to 
intemperance  may  have  a  sincere  conviction  that  his 
acts  of  drunkenness  have  displeased  God,  and  a  sincere 
wish  never  to  be  drunk  again.  But  besides  this  he 
must  "prepare  his  heart"  against  his  sin.  He  must 
resolve  to  turn  away  from  everything  that  leads  to 
drinking,  that  gives  strength  to  the  temptation,  that 
Vvcakens  his  power  of  resistance,  that  draws  him,  as 
it  were,  within  the  vortex.  He  must  fortify  himself,  by 
ioining  a  society  or  otherwise,  against  the  'insidious 
approaches  of  the  vice.  And  in  regard  to  all  that  dis- 
pleases God  he  must  order  his  fife  so  that  it  shall  be 
abandoned,  it  shall  be  parted  with  for  ever.  You  may 
say  this  is  asking  him  to  do  more  than  he  can  do. 
No  doubt  it  is.  But  is  not  the  Holy  Spirit  working  in 
him  ?     Is  it  not  the  Holy  Spirit  that  is  urging  him  to 


vii.  i^.J  REPENTANCE   A.\D  REVIVAL,  91 

do  these  things?  Whoever  is  urged  by  the  Holy 
Spirit  may  surely  rely  on  the  power  of  the  Spirit  when 
he  endeavours  to  comply  with  His  suggestions.  When 
God  works  in  us  to  will  and  to  do  of  His  good  pleasure, 
we  may  surely  work  out  our  own  salvation  with  fear 
and  trembling. 

Having  found  the  people  so  far  obedient  to  his 
requirements,  Samuel's  next  step  was  to  call  an 
assembly  of  all  Israel  to  Mizpeh.  He  desired  to  unite 
all  who  were  like-minded  in  a  purpose  of  repentance 
and  reformation,  and  to  rouse  them  to  a  higher  pitch  of 
intensity  by  contact  with  a  great  multitude  animated 
by  the  same  spirit.  When  the  assembly  met,  it  was  in 
a  most  proper  spirit.  They  began  the  proceedings  by 
drawing  water  and  pouring  it  out  before  the  Lord,  and 
by  fasting.  These  two  acts  being  joined  in  the 
narrative,  it  is  probable  they  were  acts  of  the  same 
character.  Now  as  fasting  was  evidently  an  expression 
of  contrition,  so  the  pouring  out  of  the  water  must 
have  been  so  too.  It  is  necessary  to  remark  this, 
because  an  expression  not  unlike  to  our  text,  in 
Isa.  xh.,  denotes  an  act  of  a  joyful  character,  ^'  With 
\q>j  shall  ye  draw  water  out  of  the  wells  of  salvation." 
But  what  was  done  on  this  occasion  was  to  draw 
water  and  pour  it  out  before  the  Lord.  And  this  seems 
to  have  been  done  as  a  symbol  of  pouring  out  before 
God  confessions  of  sin  drawn  from  the  depths  of  the 
heart.  What  they  said  in  connection  with  these  acts 
was,  "  We  have  sinned  against  the  Lord."  They  were 
no  longer  in  the  mood  in  which  the  Psalmist  was  when 
he  kept  silence,  and  his  bones  waxed  old  through  his 
roaring  all  the  day.  They  were  in  the  mood  into 
which  he  came  when  he  said,  "  I  will  confess  my 
transgressions   to    the    Lord."     They    humbled    them- 


92  THE  FIRST  BOOfC  OF  SAMUEL. 

selves  before  God  in  deep  convictions  of  their  un- 
worthiness,  and  being  thus  emptied  of  self  they  were 
in  a  better  state  to  receive  the  gracious  visitation  of 
love  and  mercy. 

It  is  important  to  mark  the  stress  which  is  laid  here 
on  the  public  assembly  of  the  people.  Some  might  say 
would  it  not  have  answered  the  same  end  if  the  people 
had  humbled  themselves  apart —  the  family  of  the  house 
of  Levi  apart,  and  their  wives  apart,  every  family  apart, 
and  their  wives  apart,  as  in  the  great  mourning  of 
Zechariah  (Zech.  xii.  12-14)?  We  answer,  the  one 
way  did  not  exclude  the  other ;  we  do  not  need  to  ask 
which  is  best,  for  both  are  best.  But  when  Samuel 
convened  the  people  to  a  public  assembly,  he  evidently 
did  it  on  the  principle  on  which  in  the  New  Testament 
we  are  required  not  to  forsake  the  assembling  of 
^ourselves  together.  It  is  in  order  that  the  presence 
of  people  like-minded,  and  with  the  same  earnest 
feelings  and  purposes,  may  have  a  rousing  and  warm- 
ing influence  upon  us.  No  doubt  there  are  other 
purposes  connected  with  public  worship.  We  need 
constant  instruction  and  constant  reminding  of  the  will 
of  God.  But  the  public  assembly  and  the  social  prayer- 
meeting  are  intended  to  have  another  effect.  They  are 
intended  to  increase  our  spiritual  earnestness  by  the 
sight  and  presence  of  so  many  persons  in  earnest. 
Alas  1  what  a  difference  there  often  is  between  the  ideal 
and  the  real.  Those  cold  and  passionless  meetings 
that  our  churches  and  halls  often  present — how  little 
are  they  fitted,  by  the  earnestness  and  warmth  of  their 
tone,  to  give  those  who  attend  them  a  great  impulse 
heavenward !  Never  let  us  be  satisfied  with  our  public 
religious  services  until  they  are  manifestly  adapted  to 
this  great  end. 


■9.]  REPENTANCE  AND  REVIVAL.  93 


Thus  did  Samuel  seek  to  promote  repentance  and 
revival  among  his  people,  and  to  prepare  the  vi^ay  for 
a  return  of  God's  favour.  And  it  is  in  this  very  way 
that  if  we  would  have  a  revival  of  earnest  religion,  we 
must  set  about  obtaining  it. 

2.  The  next  scene  in  the  panorama  of  the  text  is — 
the  Phihstines  invading  Israel.     Here  Samuel's  service 
is  that  of  an  intercessor,  praying  for  his  people,  and 
obtainmg  God's   blessing.     It  is   to  be  observed   that 
the  alleged  occasion  for  this  event  is  said  to  have  been 
the  meeting  held  at  Mizpeh.     "When  the  Philistines 
heard  that  the  children  of  Israel  were  gathered  together 
to  Mizpeh,  the  lords  of  the  Philistines  went  up  against 
Israel."     Was  not  this  most  strange  and  distressing  ? 
The    blessed    assembly  which    Samuel  had    convened 
only  gives    occasion   for   a   new    Philistine    invasion  ! 
Trying  to  do  his  people  good,  Samuel  would   appear 
only  to  have  done  them  harm.     With  the  assembly  at 
Mizpeh,  called  as  it  was  for  spiritual  ends,  the  Philistines 
could  have  no  real  cause  for  complaint.     Either  they 
mistook  its  purpose  and  thought  it  a  meeting  to  devise 
measures    to   throw  off  their   yoke,    or   they   had    an 
inslinctive    apprehension    that    the    spirit    which    thfi 
people  of  Israel  were  now  showing  would  be  accom- 
panied by  some  remarkable  interposition  on  their  behalf. 
It  is  not  rare  for  steps  taken  with  the  best  of  intentions 
to  become  for  a  time  the  occasion  of  a  great  increase 
of  evil, — just   as    the    remonstrances   of    Moses   with 
Pharaoh  led   at  first  to  the  increase  of  the  people's 
burdens ;  or  just  as  the  coming  of  Christ  into  the  world 
caused  the  massacre  of  the  babes  of  Bethlehem.     So 
here,  the   first  public   step  taken  by  Samuel  for  the 
people's    welfare    was    the    occasion    of    an    alarming 
invasion  by  their  cruel  enemies.     But  God's  word  on 


94  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL, 

such  occasions  is,  "  Be  still  and  know  that  I  am  God." 
Such  events  are  suffered  only  to  stimulate  faith  and 
patience.  They  are  not  so  very  overwhelming  events 
to  those  who  know  that  God  is  with  them,  and  that 
"none  of  '.hem  that  trust  in  Fiim  shall  be  desolate." 
Though  the  Israelites  at  this  time  were  not  far  advanced 
in  spiritual  life,  they  betrayed  no  consternation  when 
they  heard  of  the  invasion  of  the  Philistines.  They 
knew  where  their  help  w^as  to  be  found,  and  recognizing 
Samuel  as  their  mediator,  they  said  to  him,  "Cease 
not  to  cry  unto  the  Lord  our  God  for  us,  that  He  will 
save  us  out  of  the  hand  of  the  Philistines." 

With  this  request  Samuel  most  readily  complies. 
But  first  he  offers  a  sucking  lamb  as  a  whole  burnt- 
offering  to  the  Lord,  and  only  after  this  are  we  told 
that  "  Samuel  cried  unto  the  Lord,  and  the  Lord  heard 
him." 

The  lesson  is  supremely  important.  When  sinners 
approach  God  to  entreat  His  favour,  it  must  be  by  the 
new  and  living  way,  sprinkled  with  atoning  blood.  All 
other  ways  of  access  will  fail.  How  often  has  this 
been  exemplified  in  the  history  of  the  Church  I  How 
many  anxious  sinners  have  sought  unto  God  by  other 
ways,  but  have  been  driven  back,  sometimes  farther 
from  Him  than  before.  Luther  humbles  himself  in  the 
dust  and  implores  God's  favour,  and  struggles  with 
might  and  main  to  reform  his  heart ;  but  Luther  cannot 
find  peace  until  he  sees  how  it  is  in  the  righteousness 
of  another  he  is  to  draw  nigh  and  find  the  blessing, — 
in  the  righteousness  of  the  Lamb  of  God,  that  taketh 
away  the  sin  of  the  world.  Dr.  Chalmers,  profoundly 
impressed  with  the  sinfulness  of  his  past  life,  strives, 
with  the  energy  of  a  giant,  to  attain  conformity  to  the 
will  of  God  ;  but  he  too  is  only  tossed  about  in  weary 


vii.  1-9.]  REPENTANCE  AND  REVIVAL. 


95 


disappointment  until  he  finds  rest  in  the  atoning  mercy 
of  God  in  Christ.  We  may  be  well  assured  that  no 
sense  of  peace  can  come  into  the  guilty  soul  till  it 
accepts  Jesus  Christ  as  its  Saviour  in  all  the  fulness 
of  His  saving  power. 

Another  lesson  comes  to  us  from  Samuel's  interces- 
sion.    It  is  well  to  try  to  get  God's  servants  to  pray 
for  us.     But  little  real  progress  can  be  made  till  we  can 
pray  for  ourselves.     Whoever  really  desires  to  enjoy 
God's  favour,  be  it  for  the  first  time  after  he  has  come 
to  the  sense  of  his  sins ;  or  be  it  at  other  times,  after 
God's  face  has  been  hid  from  him  for  a  time  through 
his  backsliding,  can  never  come  as  he  ought  to  come 
without    earnest    prayer.       For   prayer    is    the   great 
medium  that  God  has  appointed  to  us  for  communion 
with  Himself.     *' Ask  and  ye  shall  receive,  seek  and  ye 
shall  find,  knock  and  it  shall  be  opened  to  you."     If 
there  be  any  lesson  written  with  a  sunbeam  alike  in  the 
Old  Testament  and  in  the  New,  it  is  that  God  is  the 
Hearer  of  prayer.     Only  let  us  take  heed  to  the  quality 
and  tone  of  our  prayer.     Before  God  can  listen  to  it,  it 
must  be   from   the   heart.     To  gabble  over  a  form  of 
prayer  is  not  to  pray.     Saul  of  Tarsus  had  said  many 
a  prayer  before  his  conversion ;  but  after  that  for  tht 
first  time  it  was  said  of  him,  ''  Behold,  he  prayeth."    To 
pray  is  to  ask  an  interview  with  God,  and  when  we  are 
alone  with  Him,  to  unburden  our  souls  to  Him.     Those 
only  who  have  learned  to  pray  thus  in  secret  can  pray 
to  any  purpose  in  the  public  assembly.     It  is  in  this 
spirit,  surely,  that  the  highest  gifts  of  Divine  grace  are 
to  be  sought.     Emphatically  it  is  in  this  way  that  we 
are  to  pray  for  our  nation  or  for  our  Church.     Let  us 
come  with  large  and  glowing  hearts  when  we  come  to 
pray  for  a  whole  community.     Let  us  plead  with  God 


06  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL. 

for  Church  and  for  nation  in  the  very  spirit  of  the 
prophet :  "  For  Zion's  sake  I  will  not  hold  my  peace, 
and  for  Jerusalem's  sake  I  will  not  rest,  until  the 
righteousness  thereof  go  forth  as  brightness,  and  the 
salvation  thereof  as  a  lamp  that  bumeth." 


CHAPTER   IX. 

NATIONAL  DELIVERANCE— THE  PHILISTINES 
SUBDUED. 

I  Samuel  vii.  10-17. 

IT  must  have  been  with  feelings  very  different  from 
those  of  their  last  encounter,  when  the  ark  of  God 
was  carried  into  the  battle,  that  the  host  of  Israel  now 
faced  the  Philistine  army  near  Mizpeh.  Then  they 
had  only  the  symbol  of  God's  gracious  presence,  now 
they  had  the  reality.  Then  their  spiritual  guides  were 
the  wicked  Hophni  and  Phinehas;  now  their  guide  was 
holy  Samuel.  Then  they  had  rushed  into  the  fight 
in  thoughtless  unconcern  about  their  sins  ;  now  they 
had  confessed  them,  and  through  the  blood  of  sprink- 
ling they  had  obtained  a  sense  of  forgiveness.  Then 
they  were  puffed  up  by  a  vain  presumption ;  now 
they  were  animated  by  a  calm  but  confident  hope. 
Then  their  advance  was  hallowed  by  no  prayer; 
now  the  cry  of  needy  children  had  gone  up  from 
God's  faithful  servant.  In  fact,  the  battle  with  the 
Philistines  had  already  been  fought  by  Samuel  on  his 
knees.  There  can  be  no  more  sure  token  of  success 
than  this.  Are  we  engaged  in  conflict  with  our  own 
besetting  sins  ?  Or  are  we  contending  against  scandal- 
ous transgression  in  the  world  around  us  ?  Let  us 
first  fight  the  battle  on  our  knees.  If  we  are  victorious 
there  w  2  need  have  little  fear  of  victory  in  the  other  battle, 
VOL.  I.  7 


9S  THE  FIRST  LOOK  OF  SAMUEL. 

It  was  as  Samuel  v;as  oncilng  up  the  burnt-offering 
that  the  Phihstincs  drew  near  to  battle  against  Israel. 
There  was  an  unseen  ladder  that  day  between  earth 
and  heaven,  on  which  the  angels  of  God  ascended  and 
descended  as  in  Jacob's  vision  at  Bethel.  The  smoke 
of  the  burnt-offering  carried  up  to  God  the  confession 
and  contrition  of  the  people,  their  reliance  on  God's 
method  of  atonement,  and  their  prayer  for  His  pardon 
and  His  blessing.  The  great  thunder  with  which  God 
thundered  on  the  Philistines  carried  down  from  God 
the  answer  and  the  needed  help.  There  is  no  need 
for  supposing  that  the  thunder  was  supernatural.  It 
was  an  instance  of  what  is  so  common,  a  natural  force 
adapted  to  the  purpose  of  an  answer  to  prayer.  What 
seems  to  have  occurred  is  this :  a  vehement  thunder- 
storm had  gathered  a  little  to  the  east,  and  now 
broke,  probably  with  violent  wind,  in  the  faces  of  the 
Philistines,  who  were  advancing  up  the  heights  against 
Mizpeh.  Unable  to  face  such  a  terrific  war  of  the 
elements,  the  Philistines  would  turn  round,  placing 
their  backs  to  the  storm.  The  men  of  Israel,  but  little 
embarrassed  by  it,  since  it  came  from  behind  them, 
and  gave  the  greater  momentum  to  their  force,  rushed 
on  the  embarrassed  enemy,  and  drove  them  before 
them  like  smoke  before  the  wind.  It  was  just  as  in 
fonner  days — God  arose,  and  His  enemies  were  scattered, 
and  they  also  that  hated  Him  fled  before  Him.  The 
storm  before  which  the  Philistines  cowered  was  like 
the  pillar  of  fire  which  had  guided  Israel  through  the 
desert.  Jehovah  was  still  the  God  of  Israel ;  the  God 
of  Jacob  was  once  more  his  refuge. 

We  have  said  that  this  thunderstorm  may  have  been 
quite  a  natural  phenomenon.  Natural,  but  not  casual. 
Though   natural,    it   was   God's   answer   to    Samuel's 


vii.  lo-i;.]  THE  PHILISTINES  SUBDUED.  99 


prayer.  But  how  could  this  have  been  ?  If  it  was 
a  natural  storm,  if  it  was  the  result  of  natural  law, 
of  atmospheric  conditions  the  operation  of  which  was 
fixed  and  certain,  it  must  have  taken  place  whether 
Samuel  prayed  or  not.  Undoubtedly.  But  the  very 
fact  that  the  laws  of  nature  are  fixed  and  certain,  that 
their  operation  is  definite  and  regular,  enables  the 
great  Lord  of  Providence  to  make  use  of  them  in  the 
natural  course  of  things,  for  the  purpose  of  answering 
prayer.  For  this  fact,  the  uniformity  of  natural  law, 
enables  the  Almighty,  who  sees  and  plans  the  end 
from  the  beginning,  to  frame  a  comprehensive  scheme 
of  Providence,  that  shall  not  only  work  out  the  final 
result  in  His  time  and  way,  but  that  shall  also  work 
out  every  intermediate  result  precisely  as  He  designs 
and  desires.  ^'  Known  unto  God  are  all  His  works 
from  the  beginning  of  the  world."  Now  if  God  has  so 
adjusted  the  scheme  of  Providence  that  the  final  result 
of  the  whole  shall  wonderfully  accomplish  His  grand 
design,  may  He  not,  must  He  not,  have  so  adjusted 
it  that  every  intermediate  part  shall  work  out  some 
intermediate  design  ?  It  is  only  those  who  have  an 
unworthy  conception  of  omniscience  and  omnipotence 
that  can  doubt  this.  Surely  if  there  is  a  general  Provi- 
dence, there  must  be  a  special  Providence.  If  God  guides 
the  whole.  He  must  also  guide  the  parts.  Every  part 
of  the  scheme  must  fall  out  according  to  His  plan, 
and  may  thus  be  the  means  of  fulfilling  some  of  His 
promises. 

Let  us  apply  this  view  to  the  matter  of  prayer.  All 
true  prayer  is  the  fruit  of  the  Holy  Spirit  working  in 
the  human  soul.  All  the  prayer  that  God  answers  is 
prayer  that  God  has  inspired.  The  prayer  of  Samuel 
was   prayer  which   God   had   inspired.     What  more 


loo  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL. 


reasonable  than  that  in  the  great  plan  of  providence 
there  should  have  been  included  a  provision  for  the 
fulfilment  of  Samuel's  prayer  at  the  appropriate 
moment  ?  The  thunderstorm,  v^e  may  be  sure,  was  a 
natural  phenomenon.  But  its  occurrence  at  the  time 
was  part  of  that  great  scheme  of  Providence  which  God 
planned  at  the  beginning,  and  it  was  planned  to  fall 
out  then  in  order  that  it  might  serve  as  an  answer  to 
Samuel's  prayer.  It  was  thus  an  answer  to  prayer 
brought  about  by  natural  causes.  The  only  thing 
miraculous  about  it  was  its  forming  a  part  of  that  most 
marvellous  scheme — the  scheme  of  Divine  providence 
-  —a  part  of  the  scheme  that  was  to  be  carried  into  effect 
after  Samuel  had  prayed.  If  the  term  supernatural 
may  be  fitly  applied  to  that  scheme  which  is  the  sum 
and  substance  of  all  the  laws  of  nature,  of  all  the 
providence  of  God,  and  of  all  the  works  and  thoughts 
of  man,  then  it  was  a  miracle ;  but  if  not,  it  was  a 
natural  effect. 

It  is  important  to  bear  these  truths  in  mind,  because 
many  have  the  impression  that  prayer  for  outward 
results  cannot  be  answered  without  a  miracle,  and  that 
it  is  unreasonable  to  suppose  that  such  a  multitude  of 
miracles  as  prayer  involves  would  be  wrought  every 
day.  If  a  sick  man  prays  for  health,  is  the  answer 
necessarily  a  miracle  ?  No  ;  for  the  answer  may  come 
about  by  purely  natural  causes.  He  has  been  directed 
to  a  skilful  physician  ;  he  has  used  the  right  medicine ; 
he  has  been  treated  in  the  way  to  give  full  scope  to 
the  recuperative  power  of  nature.  God,  who  led  him 
to  pray,  foresaw  the  prayer,  and  in  the  original  scheme 
of  Providence  planned  that  by  natural  causes  the 
answer  should  come.  We  do  not  deny  that  prayer 
may  be  answered  in  a  supernatural  way.     We  would 


5rii.  10-17.]  THE  PHILISTINES  SUBDUED.  loi 

not  affirm  that  such  a  thing  as  supernatural  healing  is 
unknown.  But  it  is  most  useful  that  the  idea  should 
be  entertained  that  such  prayer  is  usually  answered 
by  natural  means.  By  not  attending  to  this  men  often 
fail  to  perceive  that  prayer  has  been  answered.  You 
pray,  before  you  set  out  on  a  journey,  for  protection 
and  safe  arrival  at  the  end.  You  get  what  you  asked — 
you  perform  the  journey  in  safety.  But  perhaps  you 
say,  "  It  would  have  been  all  the  same  whether  I  had 
prayed  for  it  or  not.  I  have  gone  on  journeys  that  I 
forgot  to  pray  about,  and  no  evil  befel  me.  Some  of 
my  fellow-passengers,  I  am  sure,  did  not  pray  for  safety, 
yet  they  were  taken  care  of  as  much  as  I  was."  But 
these  are  sophistical  arguments.  You  should  feel  that 
your  safety  in  the  journey  about  which  you  prayed 
was  as  much  due  to  God,  though  only  through  the  opera- 
tion of  natural  causes,  as  if  you  had  had  a  hairbreadth 
escape.  You  should  be  thankful  that  in  cases  where 
you  did  not  pray  for  safety  God  had  regard  to  the 
habitual  set  of  your  mind,  your  habitual  trust  in  Him, 
though  you  did  not  specially  exercise  it  at  these  times. 
Let  the  means  be  as  natural  as  they  may — to  those 
who  have  eyes  to  see  the  finger  of  God  is  in  them 
aW  the  same. 

But  to  return  to  the  Israelites  and  the  Philistines. 
The  defeat  of  the  Philistines  was  a  very  thorough  one. 
Not  only  did  they  make  no  attempt  to  rally  after  the 
storm  had  passed  and  Israel  had  fallen  on  them,  but 
they  came  no  more  into  the  coast  of  Israel,  and  the 
hand  of  the  Lord  was  against  them  all  the  days  of 
Samuel.  And  besides  this,  all  the  cities  and  tracts  of 
land  belonging  to  Israel  which  the  Philistines  had 
taken  were  now  restored.  Another  mercy  that  came 
to  Israel   was    that    *'  there   was  peace  between  Israel 


IU2  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL. 

and  the  Amorites  "—  the  Amorites  being  put  here,  most 
likely,  for  the  remains  of  all  the  original  inhabitants 
living  among  or  around  Israel.  Those  promises  were 
now  fulfilled  in  which  God  had  said  to  Moses,  "  This 
day  will  I  begin  to  put  the  dread  of  thee  and  the 
fear  of  thee  upon  the  nations  that  are  under  the  whole 
heaven,  who  shall  hear  report  of  thee,  and  shall 
tremble  and  be  in  anguish  because  of  thee"  (Deut. 
ii.  25).  *'  There  shall  no  man  be  able  to  stand  before 
you ;  for  the  Lord  your  God  shall  lay  the  fear  of  you 
and  the  dread  of  you  upon  all  the  land  ye  shall  tread 
upon,  as  He  hath  said  to  thee."  It  was  so  apparent 
that  God  was  among  them,  and  that  the  power  of  God 
was  irresistible  and  overwhelming,  that  their  enemies 
were  frightened  to  assail  them. 

The  impression  thus  made  on  the  enemies  of  Israel 
corresponds  in  some  degree  to  the  moral  influence 
which  God-fearing  men  sometimes  have  on  an  other- 
wise godless  community.  The  picture  in  the  Song  of 
Solomon — '^  Who  is  she  that  looketh  forth  as  the  morn- 
ing, fair  as  the  moon,  clear  as  the  sun,  and  terrible  as 
an  army  with  banners  ? " — ascribes  even  to  the  fair 
young  bride  a  terrifying  power,  a  power  not  appro- 
priate to  such  a  picture  in  the  literal  sense,  but  quite 
suitable  in  the  figurative.  Wherever  the  life  and 
character  of  a  godly  man  is  such  as  to  recall  God, 
wherever  God's  image  is  plainly  visible,  wherever  the 
results  of  God's  presence  are  plainly  seen,  there  the 
idea  of  a  supernatural  Power  is  conveyed,  and  a  certain 
overawing  influence  is  felt.  In  the  great  awakening 
at  Northampton  in  Jonathan  Edwards'  days,  there  was 
a  complete  arrest  laid  on  open  forms  of  vice.  And 
whensoever  in  a  community  God's  presence  has  been 
powerfully  realized,  the  taverns  have  been  emptied,  th^ 


ni.  10-17.]  THE  PHILISTINES  SUBDUED, 


103 


gambling-table  desei-ted,  under  the  sense  of  His  august 
majesty.  Would  only  that  the  character  and  life  of  all 
God's  servants  were  so  truly  godlike  that  their  very 
presence  in  a  community  would  have  a  subduing  and 
restraining  influence  on  the  wicked  ! 

Two  points  }et  remain  to  be  noticed  :  the  step  taken 
b}'  Samusl  to  commemorate^  this  wonderful  Divine 
interposition ;  and  the  account  given  of  the  prophet 
and  his  occupations  in  his  capacity  of  Judge  of  Israel. 

''Samuel  took  a  stone,  and  set  it  between  Mizpeh 
and  Shen,  and  called  the  name  of  it  Ebenezer,  saying, 
Hitherto  hath  the  Lord  helped  us." 

The  position  of  Shen  is  not  known.  But  it  must 
have  been  very  near  the  scene  of  the  defeat  of  the 
Philistines — perhaps  it  was  the  very  spot  where  that 
defeat  occurred.  In  that  case,  Samuel's  stone  would 
stand  midway  between  the  two  scenes  of  battle  :  the 
battle  gained  by  him  on  his  knees  at  Mizpeh,  and  the 
battle  gained  by  the  Israelites  when  they  fell  on  the 
Philistines  demoralised  by  the  thunderstorm. 

"Hitherto  hath  the  Lord  helped  us."  The  cha- 
racteristic feature  of  the  nscription  lies  in  the  word 
"  hitherto."  It  was  no  doubt  a  testimony  to  special 
help  obtained  in  that  time  of  trouble  ;  it  was  a  grate- 
ful recognition  of  that  help  ;  and  it  was  an  enduring 
monument  to  perpetuate  the  memory  of  it.  But  it 
was  more,  much  more.  The  word  ''  hitherto  "  denotes 
a  series,  a  chain  of  similar  mercies,  an  unbroken 
succession  of  Divine  interpositions  and  Divine  deliver- 
ances. The  special  purpose  of  this  inscription  was 
to  link  on  the  present  deliverance  to  all  the  past,  and 
to  form  a  testimony  to  the  enduring  faithfulness  and 
mercy  of  a  covenant-keeping  God.  But  was  there  not 
something  strange  in  this  inscription,  considering  the 


I04  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL, 

circumstances  ?  Could  Samuel  have  forgot  that  tragic 
day  at  Shiloh — the  bewildered,  terrified  look  of  the 
messenger  that  came  from  the  army  to  bring  the  news, 
the  consternation  caused  by  his  message,  the  ghastly 
horror  of  Eli  and  his  tragic  death,  the  touching  death 
of  the  wife  of  Phinehas,  and  the  sad  name  which  she 
had  with  such  seeming  propriety  given  to  her  babe  ? 
Was  that  like  God  remembering  them  ?  or  h^'d  Samuel 
forgot  how  the  victorious  Philistines  soon  after  dashed 
upon  Shiloh  like  beasts  of  prey,  plundering,  destroying, 
massacreing,  till  nothing  more  remained  to  be  done  to 
justify  the  name  of  *'  Ichabod  "  ?  How  can  Samuel 
blot  that  chapter  out  of  the  history  ?  or  how  can  he 
say,  with  that  chapter  fresh  in  his  recollection, 
"  Hitherto  hath  the  Lord  helped  us  "  ? 

All  that  Samuel  has  considered  well.  Even  amid 
the  desolations  of  Shiloh  the  Lord  was  helping  them. 
He  was  helping  them  to  know  themselves,  helping 
them  to  know  their  sins,  and  helping  them  to  know 
the  bitter  fruit  and  woful  punishment  of  sin.  He 
was  helping  them  to  achieve  the  great  end  for  which 
he  had  called  them — to  keep  alive  the  knowledge  of 
the  true  God  and  the  practice  of  His  worship,  onward 
to  the  time  when  the  great  promise  should  be  realised, 
— when  He  should  come  in  whom  all  the  families  of  the 
earth  were  to  be  blessed.  Samuel's  idea  of  what  con- 
stituted the  nation's  glory  was  large  and  spiritual.  The 
true  glory  of  the  nation  was  to  fulfil  the  function  for 
which  God  had  taken  it  into  covenant  with  Himself. 
Whatever  helped  them  to  do  this  was  a  blessing,  was  a 
token  of  the  Lord's  remembrance  of  them.  The  links 
of  the  long  chain  denoted  by  Samuel's  '^  hitherto  "  were 
not  all  of  one  kind.  Some  were  in  the  form  of  mercies, 
many  were  in  the  form  of  chastenings.     For  the  higher 


vii.  10-17.]  THE  PHILISTINES  SUBDUED.  los 

the  function  for  which  Israel  was  called,  the  more 
need  was  there  of  chastening.  The  higher  the  des- 
tination of  a  silver  vessel,  the  greater  is  the  need  that 
the  silver  be  pure,  and  therefore  that  it  be  frequently 
passed  through  the  furnace.  The  destination  of  Israel 
was  the  highest  that  could  have  been.  So  Samuel  does 
not  merely  give  thanks  for  seasons  of  prosperity,  but 
for  checks  and  chastenings  too. 

Happy  they  who,  full  of  faith  in  the  faithfulness  and 
love  of  God,  can  take  a  similar  view  of  His  dealings  1 
Happy  they  who,  when  special  mercies  come,  deem 
the  occasion  worthy  to  be  commemorated  by  some 
special  memorial,  but  who  can  embrace  their  whole  life 
in  the  grateful  commemoration,  and  bracket  joys  and 
sorrows  alike  under  their  '*  hitherto  "  !  It  is  not  that 
sorrows  are  less  sorrows  to  them  than  to  others ;  it  is 
not  that  losses  of  substance  entail  less  inconvenience, 
or  bereavements  penetrate  less  deeply ;  but  that  all  are 
seen  to  be  embraced  in  that  gracious  plan  of  which 
the  final  consummation  is,  as  the  apostle  puts  it,  "  to 
present  her  to  Himself  a  glorious  Church,  not  having 
apot  or  wrinkle  or  any  such  thing."  And  well  is  it  for 
us,  both  in  individual  life  and  in  Church  and  national 
life,  to  think  of  that  plan  of  God  in  which  mercies 
and  chastenings  are  united,  but  all  with  a  gracious 
purpose  !  It  is  remarkable  how  often  in  Scripture  tears 
are  wiped  away  with  this  thought.  Zion  saying,  "  The 
Lord  hath  forsaken  me,  and  my  God  hath  forgotten 
me,"  is  assured,  "  Behold,  I  have  graven  thee  upon  the 
palms  of  My  hands,  thy  walls  are  continually  before 
Me."  Rachel  weeping  for  her  children,  and  refusing 
to  be  comforted,  is  thus  addressed,  '^  Refrain  thy  voice 
from  weeping  and  thine  eyes  from  tears  ;  for  thy  v/ork 
shall   be   rewarded,   saith   the  Lord,   and  thy  children 


io6  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL. 


shall  come  again  from  the  land  of  the  enemy."  "  Weep 
not,"  said  our  Lord  to  the  woman  of  Nain  ;  and  His 
first  words  after  His  resurrection  were,  "  Woman,  why 
weepest  thou  ?  "  Vale  of  tears  though  this  world  is, 
there  comes  from  above  a  gracious  influence  to  wipe 
them  away ;  and  the  march  Zionward  has  in  it  some- 
thing of  the  tread  and  air  of  a  triumphant  procession, 
for  "  the  ransomed  of  the  Lord  shall  return  and  come 
to  Zion  with  songs  and  everlasting  joy  on  their  heads  ; 
they  shaH  obtain  joy  and  gladness,  and  sorrow  and 
sighing  shall  flee  away." 

We  have  yet  to  notice  the  concluding  verses  of  the 
chapter  (15-17),  which  give  a  Httle  picture  of  the  public 
life  of  Samuel.  He  judged  Israel  all  the  days  of  his 
life.  The  office  of  judge  had  a  twofold  sphere,  external 
and  internal.  Externally,  it  bore  on  the  oppression  of 
the  people  by  foreign  enemies,  and  the  judge  became 
the  deliverer  of  the  people.  But  in  this  sense  there 
was  now  nothing  for  Samuel  to  do,  especially  after  the 
accession  of  Saul  to  the  kingdom.  The  judge  seems 
to  have  likewise  had  to  do  with  the  administration  of 
justice,  and  the  preservation  of  the  peace  and  general 
w^elfare  of  the  nation.  It  is  very  natural  to  suppose 
that  Samuel  would  be  profoundly  concerned  to  imbue 
the  people  with  just  views  of  the  purpose  for  which  God 
had  called  them,  and  of  the  law  and  covenant  which 
He  had  given  them.  The  three  places  among  which 
he  is  said  to  have  made  his  circuit.  Bethel,  Gilgal  and 
Mizpeh,  w^ere  not  far  from  each  other,  all  being  situated 
in  the  tribes  of  Benjamin  and  Judali, — in  that  part  of  the 
land  which  afterwards  constituted  the  kingdom  of  the 
two  tribes.  To  these  three  places  falls  to  be  added 
Ramah,  alsD  in  the  same  neighbourhood,  where  was 
his  house.     In  this  place  he  built  an  altar  to  the  Lord. 


vii.  10-17.]  THE  PHILISTINES  SUBDUED.  107 

Whether  this  was  in  connection  with  the  tabernacle 
or  not,  we  cannot  say.  We  know  that  in  the  time  of 
David's  wanderings  ^'  the  house  of  God  "  was  at  Nob 
(Compare  I  Sam.  xxi.  I  and  Matt.  xii.  4),  but  we  have 
nothing  to  show  us  when  it  was  carried  thither.  All 
we  can  say  is,  that  Samuel's  altar  must  have  been  a 
visible  memorial  of  the  worship  of  God,  and  a  solemn 
protest  against  any  idolatrous  rites  to  which  any  of  the 
people  might  at  any  time  be  attracted. 

In  this  way  Samuel  spent  his  life  like  Him  whose 
type  he  was,  *'  always  about  his  Father's  business." 
An  unselfish  man,  having  no  interests  of  his  own, 
full  of  zeal  for  the  service  of  God  and  the  public  welfare ; 
possibly  too  little  at  home,  taking  too  little  charge  of 
his  children,  and  thus  at  last  in  the  painful  position  of 
one,  "  whose  sons  walked  not  in  his  ways,  but  turned 
aside  after  lucre,  and  took  bribes,  and  perverted 
judgment"  (ch.  viii.  i).  That  Samuel  attained  the 
highest  reputation  for  sanctity,  intercourse  with  God 
and  holy  influence,  is  plain  from  various  passages  of 
Scripture.  In  Psalm  xcix.  6,  he  is  coupled  with  Moses 
and  Aaron,  as  having  influence  with  God, — "  they  called 
upon  the  Lord  and  He  answered  them."  In  Jeremiah 
XV.  I,  his  name  is  coupled  with  that  of  Moses  alone  as 
a  powerful  intercessor,  '^Though  Moses  and  Samuel 
stood  before  Me,  yet  My  mind  could  not  be  toward  this 
people."  His  mother's  act  of  consecration  was  wonder- 
fully fulfilled.  Samuel  stands  out  as  one  of  the  best 
and  purest  of  the  Hebrew  worthies.  His  name  became 
a  perpetual  symbol  of  all  that  was  upright,  pure  and 
Godlike.  The  silent  influence  of  his  character  was  a 
great  power  in  Israel,  inspiring  many  a  young  heart 
with  holy  awe,  and  silencing  the  flippant  arrogance  of 
the   scoffer.     Mothers,    did    not   Hannah    do  well,    do 


io5  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL, 

nobly,  in  dedicating  her  son  to  the  Lord  ?  Sons  and 
daughters,  was  it  not  a  noble  and  honourable  life  ? 
Then  go  ye  and  do  likewise.  And  God  be  pleased  to 
incline  many  a  heart  to  the  service  ;  a  service,  which 
with  all  its  drawbacks,  is  the  highest  and  the  noblest ; 
and  which  bequeaths  so  blessed  a  welcome  into  the 
next  stage  of  existence  :  '^  Well  done,  good  and  faithful 
servant ;  enter  thou  into  the  joy  of  thy  Lord  " 


.  CHAPTER  X. 

Ti^E  PEOPLE  DEMAND  A  KING. 
I  Samuel  viii. 

WHATEVER  impression  the  "  Ebenezer  **  of 
Samuel  may  have  produced  at  the  time,  it 
passed  away  with  the  lapse  of  years.  The  feeling 
that,  in  sympathy  with  S^imuel,  had  recognized  so 
cordially  at  that  time  the  unbroken  help  of  Jehovah 
from  the  very  beginning,  waxed  old  and  vanished  away. 
The  help  of  Jehovah  was  no  longer  regarded  as  the 
palladium  of  the  nation.  A  new  generation  had  risen 
up  that  had  only  heard  from  their  fathers  of  the  deliver- 
ance from  the  Philistines,  and  what  men  only  hear 
from  their  fathers  does  not  make  the  same  impression 
as  what  they  see  with  their  own  eyes.  The  privilege 
of  having  God  for  their  king  ceased  to  be  felt,  when 
the  occasions  passed  away  that  made  His  interposition 
so  pressing  and  so  precious.  Other  things  began  to 
press  upon  them,  other  cravings  began  to  be  felt,  that 
the  theocracy  did  not  meet.  This  double  process  went 
on — the  evils  from  which  God  did  deliver  becoming 
more  faint,  and  the  benefits  which  God  did  not  bestow 
becoming  more  conspicuous  by  their  absence — till  a 
climax  was  reached.  Samuel  was  getting  old,  and  his 
sons  were  not  like  himself;  therefore  they  afforded  no 
materials  for  continuing  the  system  of  judges.     None 


iio  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL. 


of  them  could  ever  fill  their  father's  place.  The  people 
forgot  that  God's  policy  had  been  to  raise  up  judges  from 
time  to  time  as  they  were  needed.  But  would  it  not 
be  better  to  discontinue  this  hand-to-mouth  system  of 
government  and  have  a  regular  succession  of  kings  ? 
Why  should  Israel  contrast  disadvantageously  in  this 
respect  with  the  surrounding  nations  ?  This  seems  to 
have  been  the  unanimous  feeling  of  the  nation.  '*  All 
the  elders  of  Israel  gathered  themselves  together,  and 
said  to  Samuel,  Make  us  a  king  to  judge  us  like  all  the 
nations." 

it  seems  to  us  very  strange  that  they  should  have 
done  such  a  thing.  Why  were  they  not  satisfied  with 
having  Gcd  for  their  king  ?  Was  not  the  roll  of  past 
achievements  under  His  guidance  very  glorious  ?  What 
could  have  been  more  wonderful  than  the  deliverance 
from  Egypt,  and  the  triumph  over  the  greatest  empire 
in  the  world  ?  Had  ever  such  victories  been  heard  of 
as  those  over  Sihon  and  Og  ?  Was  there  ever  a  more 
triumphant  campaign  than  that  of  Joshua,  or  a  more 
comfortable  settlement  than  that  of  the  tribes?  And  if 
Canaanites,  and  Midianites,  and  Ammonites,  and  Philis- 
tines had  vexed  them,  were  not  Barak  and  Deborah, 
Gideon  and  Jephthah,  Samson  and  Samuel,  more  than 
a  match  for  the  strongest  of  them  all  ?  Then  there 
Vv^as  the  moral  glory  of  the  theocracy.  What  nation 
had  ever  received  direct  from  God,  such  ordinances, 
such  a  covenant,  such  promises  ?  Where  else  were  men 
to  be  found  that  had  held  such  close  fellowship  with 
heaven  as  Abraham,  Isaac  and  Jacob,  Moses  and 
Aaron,  and  Joshua  ?  What  other  people  had  had  such 
revelations  of  the  fatherly  character  of  God,  so  that  it 
could  be  said  of  them,  "As  an  eagle  stirreth  up  her 
nest,  fluttereth  over  her  young,  spreadeth  abroad  her 


uii.]  THE  PEOPLE  DEMAND  A  KING.  iii 

wings,  taketh  them,  beareth  them  on  her  wings :  so  the 
Lord  did  lead  him,  and  there  was  no  strange  god  with 
him."  Instead  of  wishing  to  change  the  theocracy,  we 
Flight  have  expected  that  every  IsraeHte,  capable  of 
appreciating  solid  benefits,  would  have  clung  to  it  as 
his  greatest  privilege  and  his  greatest  honour. 

But  it  was  otherwise.  Comparatively  blind  to  its 
glories,  they  wished  to  be  like  other  nations.  It  is  too 
much  a  characteristic  of  our  human  nature  that  it  is 
indifferent  to  God,  and  to  the  advantages  which  are 
conferred  by  His  approval  and  His  blessing.  How 
utterly  do  some  leave  God  out  of  their  calculations  ! 
How  absolutely  unconcerned  they  are  as  to  whether 
they  can  reckon  on  His  approval  of  their  mode  of  life, 
how  little  it  seems  to  count !  You  that  by  false  pre- 
tences sell  your  wares  and  prey  upon  the  simple  and 
unwary  ;  you  that  heed  not  what  disappointment  or 
what  pain  and  misery  you  inflict  on  those  who  believe 
you,  provided  you  get  their  money;  you  that  grow 
rich  on  the  toil  of  underpaid  women  and  children, 
whose  life  is  turned  to  slavery  to  fulfil  your  hard 
demands,  do  you  never  think  of  God  ?  Do  you  never 
take  into  your  reckoning  that  He  is  against  you,  and 
that  He  will  one  day  come  to  reckon  with  you  ?  You 
that  frequent  the  haunts  of  secret  wickedness,  you  that 
help  to  send  others  to  the  devil,  you  that  say,  ''Am 
I  my  brother's  keeper  ? "  when  you  are  doing  your 
utmost  to  confirm  others  in  debauchery  and  pollution, 
is  it  nothing  to  you  that  you  have  to  reckon  one  day 
with  an  angry  God  ?  Be  assured  that  God  is  not 
mocked,  for  whatsoever  a  man  soweth,  that  shall  he 
also  reap  ;  for  he  that  soweth  to  the  flesh  shall  of  the 
flesh  reap  corruption,  while  he  that  soweth  to  the  Spirit 
shall  of  the  Spirit  reap  life  everlasting. 


112  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL. 

But  the  lesson  of  the  text  is  rather  for  those  who 
have  the  favour  and  blessing  of  God,  but  are  not 
content,  and  still  crave  vv^orldly  things.  You  are  in 
covenant  with  God.  He  has  redeemed  you,  not  with 
corruptible  things  such  as  silver  and  gold,  but  with  the 
precious  blood  of  Christ.  You  are  now  sons  of  God, 
and  it  doth  not  yet  appear  what  you  shall  be.  There 
is  laid  up  for  you  an  inheritance  incorruptible,  unde- 
filed,  and  that  fadeth  not  away.  Yet  your  heart  hankers 
after  the  things  of  the  world.  Your  acquaintances  and 
friends  are  better  off.  Your  bare  house,  your  homely 
furnishings,  your  poor  dress,  your  simple  fare  distress 
you,  and  you  would  fain  be  in  a  higher  worldly  sphere, 
enjoying  more  consideration,  and  participating  more 
freely  in  worldly  enjoyments.  Be  assured,  my  friends, 
you  are  not  in  a  wholesome  frame  of  mind.  To  be 
depreciating  the  surpassing  gifts  which  God  has  given 
you,  and  to  be  exaggerating  those  which  He  has  with- 
held, is  far  from  being  a  wholesome  condition.  You 
wish  to  be  like  the  nations.  You  forget  that  your 
very  glory  is  not  to  be  like  them.  Your  glory  is  that 
ye  are  a  chosen  generation,  an  holy  nation,  a  royal 
priesthood,  a  peculiar  people,  your  bodies  temples  of 
the  Holy  Ghost,  your  souls  united  to  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ. 

Yet  again,  there  are  congregations,  which  though 
in  humble  circumstances,  have  enjoyed  much  spiritual 
blessing.  Their  songs  have  gone  up,  bearing  the  in- 
cense of  much  love  and  gratitude  ;  their  prayers  have 
been  humble  and  hearty,  most  real  and  true  ;  and  the 
Gospel  has  come  to  them  not  in  word  only,  but  in 
power,  and  in  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  in  much  assurance. 
Yet  a  generation  has  grown  up  that  thinks  Httle  of 
these  inestimable  blessings,  and  misses  fine  architecture, 


viii.]  THE  PEOPLE  DEMAND  A   KING.  113 

and  elaborate  music,  and  highly  cultured  services. 
They  want  to  have  a  king  like  the  nations.  However 
they  may  endanger  the  spiritual  blessing,  it  is  all- 
important  to  have  these  surroundings  It  is  a  perilous 
position,  all  the  more  perhaps  that  many  do  not  see 
the  peril — that  many  have  little  or  no  regard  for  the 
high  interests  that  are  in  such  danger  of  being  sacrificed. 

This  then,  was  the  request  of  all  the  elders  of  Israel 
to  Samuel — "  Give  us  a  king  to  judge  us  like  all  the 
nations."  We  have  next  to  consider  how  it  was 
received  by  the  prophet. 

"  The  thing  displeased  Samuel."  On  the  very  face 
of  it,  it  was  an  affront  to  himself.  It  intimated  dis- 
satisfaction with  the  arrangement  which  had  made  him 
judge  of  the  people  under  God.  Evidently  they  were 
tired  of  him.  He  had  given  them  the  best  energies  of 
his  youth  and  of  his  manhood.  He  had  undoubtedly 
conferred  on  them  many  real  benefits.  For  all  this,  his 
reward  is  to  be  turned  off  in  his  old  age.  They  wish 
to  get  rid  of  him,  and  of  his  manner  of  instructing  them 
in  the  ways  of  the  Lord.  And  the  kind  of  functionary 
they  wish  to  get  in  his  room  is  not  of  a  very  flattering 
order.  The  kings  of  the  nations  for  the  most  part 
were  a  poor  set  of  men.  Despotic,  cruel,  vindictive, 
proud — they  were  not  much  to  be  admired.  Yet 
Israel's  eyes  are  turned  enviously  to  them  I  Possibly 
Samuel  was  failing  more  than  he  was  aware  of,  for  old 
men  are  slow  to  recognise  the  progress  of  decay,  and 
highly  sensitive  when  it  is  bluntly  intimated  to  them. 
Besides  this,  there  was  another  sore  point  which  the 
elders  touched  roughly.  ''Thy  sons  walk  not  in  thy 
ways."  However  this  may  have  come  about,  it  was  a 
sad  thought  to  their  father.  But  fathers  often  have  the 
feeling  that  while  they  may  reprove  their  sons,  they  do 

VOL.   I.  8 


114  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL, 

not  like  to  hear  this  done  by  others.  Thus  it  was  that 
the  message  of  the  elders  came  home  to  Samuel,  first 
of  all,  in  its  personal  bearings,  and  greatly  hurt  him.  It 
was  a  personal  affront,  it  was  hard  to  bear.  The  whole 
business  of  his  life  seemed  frustrated ;  everything  he 
had  tried  to  do  had  failed ;  his  whole  life  had  missed 
its  aim.     No  wonder  if  Samuel  was  greatly  troubled. 

But  in  the  exercise  of  that  admirable  habit  which 
he  had  learned  so  thoroughly,  Samuel  took  the  matter 
straight  to  the  Lord.  And  even  if  no  articulate  response 
iiad  been  made  to  his  prayer,  the  effect  of  this  could 
not  but  have  been  great  and  important.  The  very  act 
of  going  into  God's  presence  was  fitted  to  change,  in 
some  measure,  Samuel's  estimate  of  the  situation.  It 
placed  him  at  a  new  point  of  view — at  God's  point  of 
view.  When  he  reached  that,  the  aspect  of  things 
must  have  undergone  a  change.  The  bearing  of  the 
transaction  on  God  must  have  come  out  more  promin- 
ently than  its  bearing  on  Samuel.  And  this  was  fully 
expressed  in  God's  words.  "  They  have  not  rejected 
thee,  but  they  have  rejected  Me."  Samuel  was  but  the 
servant,  God  was  the  lord  and  king.  The  servant  was 
not  greater  than  his  lord,  nor  the  disciple  greater  than 
his  Master.  The  great  sin  of  the  people  was  their  sin 
against  God.  He  it  was  to  whom  the  affront  had  been 
given  ;  He,  if  any,  it  was  that  had  cause  to  remonstrate 
and  complain. 

So  prone  are  even  the  best  of  God's  servants  to  put 
themselves  before  their  Master.  So  prone  are  ministers 
of  the  Gospel,  when  any  of  their  flock  has  acted  badly, 
to  think  of  the  annoyance  to  themselves,  rather  than 
the  sin  committed  in  the  holy  eyes  of  God.  So  prone 
are  we  all,  in  our  families,  and  in  our  Churches,  and 
in  society,  to  think  of  other   aspects  of  sin,  than  its 


viii.]  THE  PEOPLE  DEMAND  A   KING,  115 

essential  demerit  in  God's  sight.  Yet  surely  this  should 
be  the  first  consideration.  That  God  should  be  dis- 
honoured is  surely  a  far  more  serious  thing  than  that 
man  rhould  be  offended.  The  sin  against  God  is 
infinitely  more  heinous  than  the  sin  against  man.  He 
that  has  sinned  against  God  has  incurred  a  fearful 
penalty — what  if  this  should  lie  on  his  conscience  for 
ever,  unconfessed,  unforgiven  ?  It  is  a  fearful  thing  to 
fall  into  the  hands  of  the  living  God. 

Yet,  notwithstanding  this  very  serious  aspect  of  the 
people's  offence,  God  instructs  Samuel  to  ''  hearken  to 
their  voice,  yet  protest  solemnly  to  them,  and  show 
them  the  manner  of  the  kingdom."  There  were  good 
reasons  why  God  should  take  this  course.  The  people 
had  shown  themselves  unworthy  the  high  privilege  of 
having  God  for  their  king.  When  men  show  them- 
selves incapable  of  appreciating  a  high  privilege,  it  is 
meet  they  should  suffer  the  loss  of  it,  or  at  least  a 
diminution  of  it.  They  had  shown  a  perpetual  tendency 
to  those  idolatrous  ways  by  which  God  was  most 
grievously  dishonoured.  A  theocracy,  to  work  success- 
fidly,  would  need  a  very  loyal  people.  Had  Israel  only 
been  loyal,  had  it  even  been  a  point  of  conscience  and 
a  point  of  honour  with  them  to  obey  God's  voice,  had 
they  even  had  a  holy  recoil  from  every  act  offensive 
to  Him,  the  theocracy  would  have  worked  most  beauti- 
fulty.  But  there  had  been  such  a  habitual  absence  of 
this  spirit,  that  God  now  suffered  them  to  institute  a 
form  of  government  that  interposed  a  human  official 
between  Him  and  them,  and  that  subjected  them  like- 
wise to  many  an  inconvenience.  Yet  even  in  allowing 
this  arrangement  God  did  not  utterly  withdraw  His 
loving-kindness  from  them.  The  theocracy  did  not 
wholly  cease.     Though  they  would  find  that  their  king? 


Ii6  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL. 

would  make  many  an  exaction  of  them,  there  would 
be  among  them  some  that  would  reign  in  righteous- 
ness, and  princes  that  would  rule  in  judgment.  The 
king  would  so  far  be  approved  of  God  as  to  bear  the 
name  of  "  the  Lord's  anointed  : "  and  would  thus,  in 
a  sense,  be  a  type  of  the  great  Anointed  One,  the  true 
Messiah,  whose  kingdom,  righteous,  beneficent,  holy, 
would  be  an  everlasting  kingdom,  and  his  dominion 
from  generation  to  generation. 

The  next  scene  in  the  chapter  before  us  finds  Samuel 
again  met  with  the  heads  of  the  people.  He  is  now 
showing  them  "  the  manner  of  the  king  " — the  relation 
in  which  he  and  they  will  stand  to  one  another.  He 
is  not  to  be  a  king  that  gives,  but  a  king  that  takes. 
His  exactions  will  be  very  multifarious.  First  of  all, 
the  most  sacred  treasures  of  their  homes,  their  sons 
and  their  daughters,  would  be  taken  to  do  hard  work 
in  his  army,  and  on  his  farms,  and  in  his  house.  Then, 
their  landed  property  would  be  taken  on  some  pretext 
— the  vineyards  and  olive-yards  inherited  from  their 
fathers — and  given  to  his  favourites.  The  tenth  part 
of  the  produce,  too,  of  what  remained  would  be  claimed 
by  him  for  his  officers  and  his  servants,  and  the  tenth 
of  their  flocks.  Any  servant,  or  young  man,  or  animal, 
that  was  particularly  handsome  and  valuable  would 
be  sure  to  take  his  fancy,  and  to  be  attached  for  his 
service.  This  would  be  ordinarily  the  manner  of  their 
king.  And  the  oppression  and  vexation  connected  with 
this  S3^stem  of  arbitrary  spoliation  would  be  so  great 
that  they  would  cry  out  against  him,  as  indeed  they 
did  in  the  days  of  Rehoboam,  yet  the  Lord  would  not 
hear  them.  Such  was  Samuel's  picture  of  what  they 
desired  so  much,  but  it  made  no  impression ;  the 
people  were  still  determined  to  have  their  king. 


viii.]  THE  PEOPLE  DEMAND  A   KING,  117 


What  a  contrast   there  was   between   this  exacting 
king,  and  the  true  King,  the  King  that  in  the  fulness 
of  the  time  was  to  come  to  His  people,  meek  and  having 
salvation,  riding  upon  the  foal  of  an  ass  !     If  there  be 
anything   more    than   another   that   makes   this    King 
glorious,  it  is  His  giving  nature.     ''  The  Son  of  God," 
says  the  Apostle,  ''  loved  me,  and  gave  Himself  for  me." 
Gave   Himself!     How  comprehensive   the  word!     All 
that  He  was  as  God,  all  that  He  became  as  man.     As 
prophet  He  gave  Himself  to  teach,  as  priest  to  atone 
and  intercede,  as  king  to  rule  and  to  defend.     "  The 
Good  Shepherd  giveth  His  life  for  the  sheep."     "This 
is  My  body  which  is  giveji  for  you."     ''  If  thou  knewest 
the  gift  of  God,  and  Who  it  is  that  saith  unto  thee, 
Give  Me  to  drink,  thou  wouldest  have  asked  of  Him, 
and  He  would  have  given  thee  living  water."     With 
what  kingly  generosity,  while   He  was  on  earth.   He 
scattered  the  gifts  of  health  and  happiness  among  the 
stricken   and    the   helpless!     ''Jesus    went    about   all 
Galilee,  teaching  in  their  synagogues,   and  preaching 
the  gospel  of  the  kingdom,  and  healing  all  manner  of 
sickness,  and  all  manner  of  disease  among  the  people." 
See   Him,    even  as    He   hung  helpless   on  the  cross, 
exercising  His  royal  prerogative  by  giving  to  the  thief 
at  His  side  a  right  to  the  Kingdom  of  God — "Verily  I 
say   unto    thee,    this   day   shalt   thou  be  with   Me  in 
Paradise."     See  Him  likewise,   exalted  on  His  throne 
"at  God's  right  hand,  to  be  a  Prince  and  a  Saviour 
for  to  give  repentance  to    Israel   and   forgiveness   of 
sins."     How  different  the  attributes  of  this  King  from 
him  whom  Samuel  delineated!     The  one  exacting  all 
that  is  ours ;  the  other  giving  all  that  is  His  ! 

The  last  scene  in  the  chapter  shows  us  the  people 
deliberately  disregarding  the  protest  of  Samuel,  and 


Il8  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL, 

reiterating  their  wilful  resolution — "  Nay,  but  we  will 
have  a  king  over  us ;  that  we  also  may  be  like  all  the 
nations,  and  that  our  king  may  judge  us,  and  go  out 
before  us,  and  fight  our  battles."  Once  more,  Samuel 
brings  the  matter  to  the  Lord — repeats  all  that  he 
has  heard  ;  and  once  more  the  Lord  says  to  Samuel, 
'^  Hearken  unto  their  choice  and  make  them  a  king." 
The  matter  is  now  decided  on,  and  it  only  remains  to 
find  the  person  who  is  to  wear  the  crown. 

On  the  very  surface  of  the  narrative  we  see  how 
much  the  people  were  influenced  by  the  desire  to  be 
"  like  all  the  nations."  This  does  not  indicate  a  very 
exalted  tone  of  feeling.  To  be  like  all  the  nations  was 
surely  in  itself  a  poor  and  childish  thing,  unless  the 
nations  were  in  this  respect  in  a  better  condition  than 
Israel.  Yet  how  common  and  almost  irresistible  is 
this  feeling  I 

Singularity  is  certainly  not  to  be  affected  for  singu- 
larity's sake ;  but  neither  are  we  to  conform  to  fashion 
simply  because  it  is  fashion.  How  cruel  and  horrible 
often  are  its  behests  I  The  Chinese  girl  has  to  submit 
to  her  feet  being  bandaged  and  confined  till  walking 
becomes  a  living  torture,  and  even  the  hours  of  what 
should  be  rest  and  sleep,  are  often  broken  by  bitter 
pain.  The  women  of  Lake  Nyassa  insert  a  piece  of 
stone  in  their  upper  lip,  enlarging  it  from  time  to  time 
till  speaking  and  eating  become  most  awkward  and 
painful  operations,  and  the  very  lip  sometimes  is  torn 
away.  Our  fathers  had  terrible  experience  of  the 
tyranny  of  the  drinking  customs  of  their  day ;  and  spite 
of  the  greater  freedom  and  the  greater  temperance  of 
our  time,  there  is  no  little  tyranny  still  in  the  drinking 
laws  of  many  a  class  among  us.  All  this  is  just  the 
outcome  of  the  spirit  that  made  the  Hebrews  so  desire 


viii.]  THK  PEOPLE  DEMA:sD  A   KING.  iig 

a  king — the  shrinking  of  men's  hearts  from  being  unlike 
others,  the  desire  to  be  hke  the  world.  What  men 
dread  in  such  cases  is  not  wrong-doing,  not  sin,  not 
offending  God  ;  but  incurring  the  reproof  of  men,  being 
laughed  at,  boycotted  by  their  fellows.  But  is  not  this 
a  very  unworthy  course  ?  Can  any  man  truly  respect 
himself  who  says,  "  I  do  this  not  because  I  think  it 
right,  not  even  because  I  deem  it  for  my  interest,  but 
simply  because  it  is  done  by  the  generality  of  people  ?  " 
Can  any  man  justify  himself  before  God,  if  the  honest 
utterance  of  his  heart  must  be,  "  I  take  this  course, 
not  because  I  deem  it  well-pleasing  in  Thy  sight,  but 
because  if  I  did  otherwise,  men  would  laugh  at  me 
and  despise  me  ?  "  The  very  statement  of  the  case  in 
explicit  terms  condemns  it.  Not  less  is  it  condemned 
by  the  noble  conduct  of  those  to  whom  grace  has  been 
given  to  withstand  the  voice  of  the  multitude  and  stand 
up  faithfully  for  truth  and  duty.  Was  there  ever  a 
nobler  attitude  than  that  of  Caleb,  when  he  withstood 
the  clamour  of  the  other  spies,  and  followed  the  Lord 
fully  ?  or  that  of  Shadrach,  Meshach,  and  Abednego, 
when  alone  among  myriads,  they  refused  to  bow  down 
to  the  image  of  gold  ?  or  that  of  Luther  when,  alone 
against  the  world,  he  held  unflinchingly  by  his  convic- 
tions of  truth  ? 

Let  the  young  especially  ponder  these  things.  To 
them  it  often  seems  a  terrible  thing  to  resist  the  general 
voice,  and  hold  by  conscience  and  duty.  To  confess 
Christ  among  a  school  of  despisers,  is  often  like 
martyrdom.  But  think  !  What  is  it  to  deny  Christ  ? 
Can  that  bring  any  peace  or  satisfaction  to  those  who 
know  His  worth  ?  Must  it  not  bring  misery  and  self- 
contempt  ?  If  the  duty  of  confessing  Him  be  difficult, 
seek  strength  for    the  duty.      Pray  for   the   strength 


THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL, 


which  is  made  perfect  in  your  weakness.  Cast  your 
thoughts  onward  to  the  day  of  Christ's  second  coming, 
w^hen  the  opinion  and  practice  of  the  world  shall  all 
be  reduced  to  their  essential  worthlessness,  and  the 
promises  to  the  faithful,  firm  as  the  everlasting  hills, 
shall  be  gloriously  fulfilled.  For  in  that  day,  Hannah's 
song  shall  have  a  new  fulfilment :  ''  He  raiseth  up  the 
poor  out  of  the  dust,  and  lifteth  up  the  beggar  out  of 
the  dunghill,  to  set  them  among  princes,  and  make 
them  inherit  the  throne  of  glory." 


CHAPTER  XI. 

SAUL  BROUGHT  TO  SAMUEL. 
I  Samuel  ix.  i— 14. 

GOD'S  providence  is  a  wonderful  scheme ;  a  web 
of  many  threads,  woven  with  marvellous  skill ; 
a  network  composed  of  all  kinds  of  materials,  great 
and  small,  but  so  arranged  that  the  very  smallest  of 
them  is  as  essential  as  the  largest  to  the  completeness 
of  the  fabric. 

One  would  suppose  that  many  of  the  dramas  of  the 
Old  Testament  were  planned  on  very  purpose  to  show 
how  intimately  things  secular  and  things  sacred,  as  we 
call  them,  are  connected  together;  how  entirely  the 
minutest  events  are  controlled  by  God,  and  at  the  same 
time  how  thoroughly  the  freedom  of  man  is  preserved. 
The  meeting  of  two  convicts  in  an  Egyptian  prison  is 
a  vital  link  in  the  chain  of  events  that  makes  Joseph 
governor  of  Egypt ;  a  young  lady  coming  to  bathe  in 
the  river  preserves  the  life  of  Moses,  and  secures  the 
escape  of  the  Israelites ;  the  thoughtful  regard  of  a 
father  for  the  comfort  of  his  sons  in  the  army  brings 
David  into  contact  with  Goliath,  and  prepares  the  way 
for  his  elevation  to  the  throne  ;  the  beauty  of  a  Hebrew 
girl  fascinating  a  Persian  king  saves  the  whole  Hebrew 
race  from  massacre  and  extermination. 

So  in  the  passage  now  before  us.     The  straying  of 


122  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL, 

some  asses  from  the  pastures  of  a  Hebrew  farmer 
brings  together  the  two  men,  of  whom  the  one  was 
the  old  ruler,  and  the  other  was  to  be  the  new  ruler 
of  Israel.  That  these  two  should  meet,  and  that  the 
older  of  them  should  have  the  opportunity  of  instruct- 
ing and  influencing  the  younger,  was  of  the  greatest 
consequence  for  the  future  welfare  of  the  nation.  And 
the  meeting  is  brought  about  in  that  casual  way  that 
at  first  sight  seems  to  indicate  that  all  things  happen 
without  plan  or  purpose.  Yet  we  find,  on  more  careful 
examination,  that  every  event  has  been  planned  to  fit 
in  to  every  other,  as  carefully  as  the  pieces  of  a  dis- 
sected map,  or  the  fragments  of  a  fine  mosaic.  But  of 
all  the  actors  in  the  drama,  not  one  ever  feels  that  his 
freedom  is  in  any  way  interfered  with.  All  of  them 
are  at  perfect  liberty  to  follow  the  course  that  commends 
itself  to  their  own  minds. 

Thus  wonderfully  do  the  two  things  go  together — 
Divine  ordination  and  human  freedom.  How  it  should 
be  so,  it  baffles  us  to  explain.  But  that  it  is  so,  must  be 
obvious  to  every  thoughtful  mind.  And  it  is  because 
we  see  the  two  things  so  harmonious  in  the  common 
affairs  of  life,  that  we  can  believe  them  to  act  har- 
moniously in  the  higher  plane  of  redemption  and  salva- 
tion. For  in  that  sphere,  too,  all  things  fall  out  in 
accordance  with  the  Divine  plan.  *'  Known  unto  God 
are  all  His  works  from  the  beginning  of  the  world." 
Yet  this  universal  predestination  in  no  degree  inter- 
feres with  the  liberty  of  man.  If  men  reject  God's 
offers,  it  is  because  they  are  personally  unwilling  to 
accept  of  them.  If  they  receive  His  offers,  it  is  because 
they  have  been  made  willing  to  do  so.  "  Ye  will  not 
come  unto  Me  that  ye  might  have  life,"  said  our  Lord 
to  the  Jews.     And  yet  it  is  ever  true  that  '^  it  is  God 


IX.  1-14.]  SAUL  BROU'^HT  TO  SAMUEL.  123 


that  woi  keth  in  you  both  to  will  and  to  do  of  His  good 
pleasure." 

God  having  given  the  people  permission  to  appoint  a 
king,  that  king  has  now  to  be  found.  What  kind  of 
person  must  the  first  king  be— the  first  to  supersede 
the  old  rule  of  the  Divinely-inspired  judges,  the  first  to 
fulfil  the  cravings  of  the  people,  the  first  to  guide  the 
nation  which  had  been  appointed  by  God  to  stand  in 
so  close  a  relation  to  Himself? 

It  seemed  desirable,  that  in  the  first  king  of  Israel, 
two  classes  of  qualities  should  be  united,  in  some 
degree  contradictory  to  one  another.  First,  he  must 
possess  some  of  the  qualities  for  which  the  people 
desire  to  have  a  king;  while  at  the  same  time,  from 
God's  point  of  view,  it  is  desirable  that  under  him  the 
people  should  have  some  taste  of  the  evils  which 
Samuel  had  said  would  follow  from  their  choice. 

To  an  Oriental  people,  a  stately  and  commanding 
personality  was  essential  to  an  ideal  king.  They  liked 
a  king  that  would  look  well  on  great  occasions,  that 
would  be  a  commanding  figure  at  the  head  of  an  army, 
or  in  the  centre  of  a  procession  ;  that  would  arrest  the 
eye  of  strangers,  and  inspire  at  first  sight  an  involun- 
tary respect  for  the  nation  that  had  such  a  ruler  at  its 
head.  Nor  could  any  one  have  more  fully  realized  the 
wishes  of  the  people  in  this  respect  than  Saul.  "  A 
choice  young  man  and  a  goodly  ;  there  was  not  among 
the  children  of  Israel  a  goodlier  person  than  he ;  from 
his  shoulders  and  upward  he  was  higher  than  any  of 
the  people." 

Further,  though  his  tribe  was  small  in  number,  it 
was  not  small  in  influence.  And  his  family  was  of  a 
superior  caste,  for  Kish  was  *'  a  mighty  man  of  power." 
And  Saul's  personal  qualities  were  prepossessing  and 


124  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL, 

promising.  He  showed  himself  ready  to  comply  with 
his  father's  order  about  the  asses  that  had  strayed,  and 
to  undertake  a  laborious  journey  to  look  for  them.  He 
was  interested  in  his  father's  business,  and  ready  to 
help  him  in  his  time  of  need.  And  the  business  which 
he  undertook  he  seems  to  have  executed  with  great 
patience  and  thoroughness.  A  foot  journey  over  a  great 
part  of  the  territory  of  Benjamin  was  no  easy  task. 
Altogether,  he  shows  himself,  as  we  say,  a  capable 
man.  He  is  not  afraid  to  face  the  irksome;  he  does 
not  consult  merely  for  his  ease  and  pleasure;  labour 
does  not  distress  him,  and  difficulties  do  not  daunt 
him. 

All  this  was  so  far  promising,  and  it  seems  to  have 
been  exactly  what  the  people  desired.  But  on  the 
other  hand,  there  seems  to  have  been,  from  the  very 
beginning,  a  great  want  in  Saul.  He  appears  from  the 
very  first  to  have  wanted  all  that  was  most  conspicuous 
and  most  valuable  in  Samuel.  It  is  a  circumstance  not 
without  its  significance,  that  the  very  name  and  work 
of  Samuel  do  not  seem  to  have  been  familiar  or  even 
known  to  him.  It  was  his  servant  that  knew  about 
Samuel,  and  that  told  Saul  of  his  being  in  the  city,  in 
the  land  of  Zuph  (ver.  6).  This  cannot  but  strike  us  as 
very  strange.  We  should  have  thought  that  the  name 
of  Samuel  would  have  been  as  familiar  to  all  the  people 
of  Israel  as  that  of  Queen  Victoria  to  the  people  of 
Great  Britain.  But  Saul  does  not  appear  to  have  heard 
it,  as  in  any  way  remarkable.  Does  not  this  indicate 
a  family  living  entirely  outside  of  all  religious  con- 
nections, entirely  immersed  in  secular  things,  caring 
nothing  about  godly  people,  and  hardly  ever  even 
pronouncing  their  name  ?  It  is  singular  how  utterly 
igi^orant  worldly  men  are  of  what  passes  in  religious 


ix.  I-I4.]  SAUL  BROUGHT  TO  SAMUEL.  125 

circ'es,  if  they  happen  to  have  no  near  relative,  or 
familiar  acquaintance  in  the  religious  v^orld  to  carry 
the  news  to  them  from  time  to  time.  And  as  Saul 
thus  lived  outside  of  all  religious  circles,  so  he  seems 
to  have  been  entirely  v^anting  in  that  great  quality 
v^hich  v^^as  needed  for  a  king  of  Israel — loyalty  to 
the  Heavenly  King.  Here  it  was  that  the  difference 
between  him  and  Samuel  was  so  great.  Loyalty  to 
God  and  to  God's  nation  was  the  very  foundation 
of  Samuel's  life.  Anything  like  self-seeking  was 
unknown  to  him.  He  had  early  undergone  that 
momentous  change,  when  God  is  substituted  for  self 
as  the  pivot  of  one's  life.  The  claims  of  the  great 
King  were  ever  paramount  in  his  eyes.  What  would 
please  God  and  be  honouring  to  Him,  was  the  first 
question  that  rose  to  his  mind.  And  as  Israel  was 
God's  people,  so  the  interest  and  the  welfare  of  Israel 
were  ever  dear  to  him.  And  thus  it  was  that  Samuel 
might  be  relied  on  not  to  think  of  himself,  not  to  think 
of  his  own  wishes  or  interests,  except  as  utterly 
subordinate  to  the  wishes  and  interests  of  his  God  and 
his  nation.  It  was  this  that  gave  such  soHdity  to 
Samuel's  character,  and  made  him  so  invaluable  to  his 
people.  In  every  sphere  of  life  it  is  a  precious  quality. 
Whether  as  domestic  servants,  or  clerks,  or  managers, 
dependent  on  others,  those  persons  are  ever  of  priceless 
worth  whose  hearts  are  thus  set  on  objects  outside 
themselves,  and  who  are  proof  against  the  common 
temptations  of  selfishness  and  worldliness.  And  when 
they  are  the  rulers  of  a  nation,  and  are  able  to  dis- 
regard their  personal  welfare  in  their  burning  desire 
to  benefit  the  whole  people,  they  rise  to  the  rank  of 
heroes,  and  after  their  death,  their  names  are  enshrined 
in  the  memories  of  a  grateful  and  admiring  people. 


126  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL. 

But  in  these  high  qualities,  Saul  seems  to  have  been 
altogether  wanting.  For  though  he  was  not  selfish 
and  self-indulgent  at  first,  though  he  readily  obeyed  his 
father  in  going  to  search  for  the  strayed  asses,  he 
had  no  deep  root  of  unselfishness  in  his  nature,  and 
by-and-bye,  in  the  hour  of  temptation,  the  cloven  foot 
unhappily  appeared.  And  ere  long  the  people  would 
learn,  that  as  Saul  had  in  him  no  profound  reverence 
for  the  will  of  God,  so  he  had  in  him  no  profound  and 
indefeasible  regard  for  the  welfare  of  God's  people. 
The  people  would  come  to  see  what  a  fatal  mistake 
they  had  made  in  selecting  a  king  merely  for  superficial 
qualities,  and  passing  by  all  that  would  have  allied 
him,  as  Samuel  was  allied,  to  God  himself.  Now  it 
seems  to  have  been  God's  purpose  that  the  first  king 
of  Israel  should  be  a  man  of  this  kind.  Through  him 
the  people  were  to  learn  that  the  king  who  simply 
fulfilled  their  notions,  was  capable,  when  his  self-will 
was  developed,  of  dragging  the  nation  to  ruin.  No ! 
it  was  not  the  superficial  quahties  of  Saul  that  would 
be  a  blessing  to  the  nation.  It  was  not  a  man  out  of 
all  spiritual  sympathy  with  the  living  God  that  would 
raise  the  standing  of  Israel  among  the  kingdoms  ar  ^und, 
and  bring  them  the  submission  and  respect  of  foreign 
kings.  The  intense  and  consistent  godliness  of  Samuel 
was  probably  the  qualit}^  that  was  not  popular  among 
the  people.  In  the  worldliness  of  his  spirit,  Saul  was 
probably  more  to  their  liking.  Yet  it  was  this  un- 
worldly but  godly  Samuel  that  had  delivered  them  from 
the  bitter  yoke  of  the  Philistines,  and  it  was  this  hand- 
some but  unspiritual  Saul  that  was  to  bring  them  again 
into  bondage  to  their  ancient  foes.  This  was  the  sad 
lesson  to  be  learned  from  the  reign  of  Saul. 

But  God  did  not  design  altogether  to  abandon  His 


ix.  I-I4.]  SAUL  BROUGHT  TO  SAMUEL.  127 

people.  When  the  lesson  should  be  learnt  from  Saul's 
history,  He  would  guide  them  to  a  king  of  a  different 
stamp.  He  would  give  them  a  king  after  His  own 
heart — one  that  would  make  the  will  of  God  the  great 
rule,  and  the  welfare  of  the  people  the  great  end  of  his 
government.  David  would  engrave  in  the  history  of 
the  nation  in  deeper  letters  than  even  Samuel,  the  all- 
important  lesson,  that  for  kings  and  countries  as  much 
as  for  individuals,  "  the  fear  of  the  Lord  is  the  begin- 
ning of  wisdom ;  "  that  God  honours  them  that  honour 
Him,  while  they  that  despise  Him  shall  indeed  be 
lightly  esteemed. 

But  let  us  now  come  to  the  circumstances  that  led  to 
the  meeting  of  Saul  and  Samuel.  The  asses  of  Kish 
had  strayed.  Very  probably  they  had  strayed  at  a 
time  when  they  were  specially  needed.  The  operations 
of  the  farm  had  to  be  suspended  for  want  of  them, 
perhaps  at  a  season  when  any  delay  would  be  especially 
inconvenient.  In  all  ranks  of  life,  men  are  subject  to 
these  vexations,  and  he  is  a  happy  man  who  does  not 
fret  under  them,  but  keeps  his  temper  calm,  in  spite 
of  all  the  worry.  Especially  is  he  a  happy  man  who 
retains  his  equanimity  under  the  conviction  that  the 
thing  is  appointed  by  God,  and  that  He  who  overruled 
the  loss  of  Kish's  asses  to  such  high  events  in  the 
history  of  his  son,  is  able  so  to  order  all  their  troubles 
and  worries  that  they  shall  be  found  conducive  to  their 
highest  good.  At  Kish's  order,  Saul  and  one  of  the 
servants  go  forth  to  seek  the  asses.  With  the  precise 
localities  through  which  they  passed,  we  are  not 
accurately  acquainted,  such  places  as  Shalim  or  Zuph 
not  having  yet  been  identified.  But  the  tour  m.ust 
have  been  an  extensive  one,  extending  over  most  of  the 
territory  of  Benjamin ;  and  as  it  must  have  been  neces- 


128  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL, 

sary  to  make  many  a  detour,  up  hill  and  down  dale,  to 
this  farm  and  to  that,  the  labour  involved  must  have 
been  very  great.  It  v^^as  not  a  superficial  but  a  thorough 
search. 

At  last,  v^hen  they  came  to  the  land  of  Zuph,  they 
had  been  away  so  long  that  Saul  thought  it  necessary 
to  return,  lest  his  father  should  think  that  some  evil 
had  befallen  them.  But  the  servant  had  another  string 
to  his  bow.  Though  Saul  was  not  familiar  with  the 
name  or  the  character  of  Samuel,  his  servant  was 
What  God  hides  from  the  wise  and  prudent,  He  some- 
times reveals  to  babes.  It  is  an  interesting  thing  iiv 
the  history  of  the  Church,  how  often  great  people  have 
been  indebted  to  servants  for  important  guidance, 
perhaps  even  for  their  first  acquaintance  with  saving 
truth.  The  little  captive  maid  that  ministered  in  the 
house  of  Naaman  the  Syrian  was  the  channel  through 
whom  he  came  to  know  of  the  prophet  of  Israel  who 
was  able  to  heal  him.  Many  a  distinguished  Christian 
has  acknowledged,  Hke  the  Earl  of  Shaftesbury,  his 
obligations  to  some  pious  nurse  that  when  he  was  a 
child  told  him  Bible  stories  and  pressed  on  his  heart 
the  claims  of  God.  Happy  those  servants  who  are 
faithful  in  these  circumstances,  and  of  whom  it  can  be 
said,  ''They  have  done  what  they  could!"  Of  this 
servant  of  Saul's  we  know  nothing  whatever,  save  that, 
in  his  master's  dilemma,  he  told  him  of  the  Lord's 
servant,  and  induced  him  to  apply  to  him  to  extricate 
him  from  his  difficulty. 

It  does  not  appear  that  the  city  was  Samuel's  usual 
place  of  abode.  It  was  a  place  to  which  he  had  come 
to  hold  a  religious  service,  and  the  occasion  was  evi- 
dently one  of  much  importance.  It  is  interesting  to 
observe  how  the  difficulty  was  got  over,  of  their  having 


ix.  I-I4.]  SAUL   BROUGHT   TO  SAMUEL.  1-9 

no  present  to  offer  to  the  man  of  God,  in  accordance 
with  the  custom  of  the  country.  Saul,  though  in  com- 
fortable circumstances,  had  absolutely  no  particle  of 
money  with  him.  His  servant  had  but  a  quarter  of  a 
shekel,  not  designed  apparently  for  spending  purposes, 
but  perhaps  a  little  keepsake  or  kind  of  amulet  he 
carried  about  with  him.  But  there  was  such  hospitality 
in  those  days  that  people  going  about  the  country  had 
no  need  for  money.  So  it  was  when  our  Lord  instructed 
the  disciples  when  sending  them  out  on  their  missionary 
tour — "  Provide  neither  gold  nor  silver  nor  brass  in 
your  purses,  nor  scrip  for  your  journey,  neither  two 
coats,  neither  shoes,  nor  yet  staves,  for  the  labourer  is 
worthy  of  his  meat."  Those  who  have  presumed  on 
these  instructions,  holding  that  the  modern  missionary 
does  not  need  any  sustenance  to  be  provided  for  him, 
but  may  safely  trust  to  the  hospitality  of  the  heathen, 
forget  how  different  was  the  case  and  the  custom  among 
the  Hebrew  people. 

But  now,  as  Saul  and  his  servant  came  to  the  city, 
another  providential  meeting  takes  place  to  help  them 
to  their  object.  '*  As  they  went  up  the  hill  to  the  city, 
they  found  young  maidens  going  out  to  draw  water." 
The  city  was  up  the  hill,  and  the  water  supply  would 
naturally  be  at  the  bottom.  From  the  maidens  that 
were  going  down  to  the  fountain,  they  obtained  inform- 
ation fitted  to  quicken  their  movements.  They  learned 
that  the  prophet  had  already  arrived.  The  preparations 
for  the  sacrifice  which  he  was  to  offer  were  now  going 
on.  It  was  just  the  time  to  get  a  word  with  him,  if 
they  had  business  to  transact.  Very  soon  he  would  be 
going  up  to  the  high  place,  and  then  the  solemn  rites 
would  begin,  and  be  followed  by  the  feast,  which  would 
engross  his  whole  attention.     If  they  would  catch  him 

VOL.   I.  9 


130  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL, 


at  the  proper  moment  they  must  '^make  haste."  That 
they  did  quicken  their  pace,  we  cannot  doubt.  And  it 
was  necessary  ;  for  just  as  they  reached  the  city  Samuel 
made  his  appearance,  about  to  go  up  to  the  high  place. 
If  they  had  lost  that  mioment,  they  would  probably 
have  had  no  opportunity  during  the  whole  day.  Nor 
is  it  likely  that  Saul,  who  had  no  great  desire  for  the 
company  of  the  prophet,  would  have  waited  till  the 
sacrifice  and  the  feast  were  over.  The  two  men  were 
brought  together  just  in  the  nick  of  time.  And  thus 
another  essential  link  of  God's  chain,  bringing  the  old 
and  the  new  ruler  of  Israel  into  contact  with  each 
other,  was  happily  adjusted,  all  through  means  to  us 
apparently  accidental,  but  forming  parts  of  the  great 
scheme  of  God. 

From  this  part  of  the  narrative  we  may  derive  two 
great  lessons,  the  one  with  reference  to  God,  and  the 
other  with  reference  to  man. 

First,  as  it  regards  God,  we  cannot  but  see  how 
silently,  secretly,  often  slowly,  yet  surely,  He  accom- 
plishes His  purposes.  There  are  certain  rivers  in 
nature  that  flow  so  gently,  that  when  looking  at  the 
water  only,  the  eye  of  the  spectator  is  unable  to  discern 
any  movement  at  all.  Often  the  ways  of  God  resemble 
such  rivers.  Looking  at  what  is  going  on  in  common 
life,  it  is  so  ordinary,  so  absolutely  quiet,  that  you  can 
see  no  trace  whatever  of  any  Divine  plan.  Things 
seem  left  to  themselves,  and  God  appears  to  have  no 
connection  with  them.  And  yet,  all  the  while,  the  most 
insignificant  of  them  is  contributing  towards  the  accom- 
plishment of  the  mighty  plans  of  God.  By  means  of  ten 
thousand  times  ten  thousand  agents,  conscious  and  un- 
conscious, things  are  moving  on  towards  the  grand 
consummation.      Men  m.ay  be   instruments   in    God's 


X.  I-I4]  SAUL  BROUGHT  TO  SAMUEL,  131 

hands  without  knowing  it.  When  Cyrus  was  moving 
his  armies  towards  Babylon,  he  little  knew  that  he  was 
accomplishing  the  Divine  purpose  for  the  humbling 
of  the  oppressor  and  the  deliverance  of  His  oppressed 
people.  And  in  all  the  events  of  common  life,  men 
seem  to  be  so  completely  their  own  masters,  there  seems 
such  a  want  of  any  influence  from  without,  that  God  is 
liable  to  slip  entirely  out  of  sight.  And  yet,  as  we  see 
from  the  chapter  before  us,  God  is  really  at  work. 
Whether  men  know  it  or  not,  they  are  really  fulfilling 
the  purposes  of  His  will.  Calmly  but  steadily,  like  the 
stars  in  the  silent  heavens,  men  are  bringing  to  pass 
the  schemes  of  God.  His  wildest  enemies  are  really 
helping  to  swell  His  triumphs.  Oh,  how  vain  is  the 
attempt  to  resist  His  mighty  hand  !  The  day  cometh, 
when  all  the  tokens  of  confusion  and  defeat  shall  dis- 
appear, when  the  bearing  even  of  the  fall  of  a  sparrow 
on  the  plans  of  God  shall  be  made  apparent,  and  every 
intelligent  creature  in  earth  and  heaven  shall  join  in 
the  mighty  shout — "Alleluiah,  for  the  Lord  God 
Omnipotent  reigneth." 

But  again,  there  is  a  useful  lesson  in  this  chapter 
for  directing  the  conduct  of  men.  You  see  in  what 
direction  the  mind  of  Saul's  servant  moved  for  guidance 
in  the  day  of  difficulty.  It  was  toward  the  servant  of 
God.  And  you  see  likewise  how,  when  Saul  and  he  had 
determined  to  consult  the  man  of  God,  they  were  provi- 
dentially guided  to  him.  To  us,  the  way  is  open  to 
God  Himself,  without  the  intervention  of  any  prophet. 
Let  us  in  every  time  of  trouble  seek  access  to  God. 
Have  we  not  a  thousand  examples  of  it  in  Bible  history, 
and  in  other  history  too  ?  Men  say  it  is  not  right 
we  should  trouble  God  with  trifles.  Nay,  the  living 
God   knows   not  what   trouble  is,  and  in  His  scheme 


132  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL, 

there  are  no  trifles.  There  is  no  limit  one  way  or 
other  in  the  command,  ^^  In  everything  by  prayer  and 
suppHcation  with  thanksgiving,  let  your  requests  be 
made  known  unto  God."  "Acknowledge  Him  in  all 
your  ways,  and  He  will  direct  your  steps."  But  above 
all,  acknowledge  Him  with  reference  to  the  way  of  Hfe 
eternal.  Make  sure  that  you  are  in  the  v.ay  to  heaven. 
Use  well  the  guide  book  with  which  you  are  furnished. 
Let  God's  word  be  a  light  to  your  feet  and  a  lamp  to 
your  path  ;  and  then  your  path  shall  itself  "be  Hke  the 
shining  light,  shining  brighter  and  brighter  unto  the 
perfect  day." 


CHAPTER  XII. 

FIRST  MEETING  OF  SAMUEL  AND  SAUL, 
I   Samuel  ix.  15-27. 

THE  meeting  between  Samuel  and  Saul  was  pre- 
ceded by  previous  meetings  between  Samuel  and 
God.  God  had  prepared  the  prophet  for  his  visit  from 
the  future  king  of  Israel,  and  the  first  thing  brought 
before  us  in  these  verses  is  the  communication  on 
this  subject  which  had  been  made  to  the  prophet  a 
day  before. 

It  is  very  interesting  to  observe  how  readily  Samuel 
still  lends  himself  for  any  service  he  can  render  on 
behalf  of  his  people,  under  the  new  arrangement  that 
God  had  permitted  for  their  government.  We  have 
seen  how  mortified  Samuel  was  at  first,  when  the 
people  came  to  him  with  their  request  for  a  king.  He 
took  it  as  a  personal  afiront,  as  well  as  a  grave  public 
error.  Conscious  as  he  was  of  having  done  his  duty 
faithfully,  and  of  having  rendered  high  service  to  the 
nation,  and  reposing  calmly,  as  he  probably  was,  on  the 
expectation  that  at  least  for  some  time  to  come,  Israel 
would  move  forward  peacefully  and  happily  on  the  lines 
which  he  had  drawn  for  them,  it  must  have  been  a 
staggering  blow  when  they  came  to  him  and  asked 
him  to  overturn  all  that  he  had  done,  and  make  them 
a  king.     It  must  have  been  one  of  those  bewildering 


134  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL. 

moments  when  one's  whole  life  appears  lost,  and  all 
one's  dearest  hopes  and  hardest  labours  lie  shattered, 
like  the  fragments  of  a  potter's  vessel.  We  have  seen 
how,  in  that  sad  moment,  Samuel  carried  his  sorrows 
to  the  Lord,  and  learning  thus  to  view  the  whole  matter 
from  God's  point  of  view,  how  he  came  to  make  com- 
paratively little  account  of  his  own  disappointment, 
and  to  think  only  how  he  could  still  serve  the  cause  of 
God,  how  he  could  still  help  the  people,  how  he  could 
prevent  the  vessel  which  he  was  no  longer  to  steer 
from  dashing  against  the  hidden  rocks  he  saw  so  clearly 
ahead.  It  is  impossible  not  to  be  struck  with  the 
beauty  and  purity  of  Samuel's  character  in  this  mode 
of  action. 

How  many  a  good  man  takes  offence  when  slighted 
or  superseded  by  some  committee  or  other  body,  in  con- 
nection with  a  political,  social,  or  religious  cause  which 
he  has  tried  to  help !  If  they  won't  have  me,  he  says,  let 
them  do  without  me.  If  they  won't  allow  me  to  carry 
out  the  course  which  I  have  followed,  and  which  has 
been  undoubtedly  highly  beneficial,  I'll  have  nothing 
more  to  do  with  them.  He  sulks  in  his  tent  hke 
Achilles,  or  goes  over  to  the  enemy  like  Coriolanus. 
Not  so  Samuel !  His  love  for  the  people  is  too  deep 
to  allow  of  such  a  course.  They  have  behaved  badly 
to  him,  but  notwithstanding  he  will  not  leave  them. 
Like  an  injured  but  loving  wife,  who  labours  with  every 
art  of  patient  affection  to  reclaim  the  husband  that  has 
abused  her  and  broken  her  heart ;  like  a  long-suffering 
father,  who  attends  with  his  own  hands  to  the  neglected 
work  of  his  dissipated  son,  to  save  him  if  possible  from 
the  consequences  of  his  folly — Samuel  overlooks  his 
personal  slight,  and  bears  with  the  public  folly  of  the 
people,  in  the  endeavour  to  be  of  some  use  to  them  in 


!«.  15-27.]    FIRST  MEETING  OF  SAMUEL  AND  SAUL.     135 

the  important  stage  of  their  history  on  which  they  are 
entering.  He  receives  Divine  communications  respect- 
ing the  man  who  is  to  supersede  him  in  the  government 
of  the  people,  and  instead  of  jealousy  and  dislike,  shows 
every  readiness  to  help  him.  It  is  refreshing  to  find 
such  tokens  of  magnanimity  and  disinterestedness. 
However  paltry  human  nature  may  be  in  itself,  it  can 
become  very  noble  when  rehabilitated  by  the  Spirit  of 
God.  Need  we  ask  which  is  the  nobler  course  ?  You 
feel  that  you  have  not  been  treated  perhaps  by  your 
church  with  sufficient  consideration.  You  fret,  you 
complain,  you  stay  away  from  church,  you  pour  your 
grievance  into  every  open  ear.  Would  Samuel  have 
done  so  ?  Is  not  your  conduct  the  very  reverse  of 
his  ?  Side  by  side  with  his,  must  not  yours  be  pro- 
nounced poor  and  paltry  ?  Have  you  not  need  to  study 
the  thirteenth  chapter  of  i  Corinthians,  and  when 
you  read  of  the  charity  that  '' beareth  all  things, 
believeth  all  things,  hopeth  all  things,  endureth  all 
things,"  ask  yourselves  whether  it  might  not  be  said 
of  you  that  you  have  neither  part  nor  lot  in  this 
matter  ? 

The  communication  that  God  had  made  to  Samuel 
was,  that  on  the  following  day  He  would  send  to  him 
the  man  whom  he  was  to  anoint  as  captain  over  Israel, 
that  he  might  save  them  from  the  Philistines;  for  He 
had  looked  upon  His  people,  because  their  cry  was 
come  up  to  Him.  There  is  an  apparent  inconsistency 
here  with  what  is  said  elsewhere.  In  chap.  viii.  13 
it  is  said,  that  ''the  Philistines  came  no  more  into  the 
coast  of  Israel,  and  that  the  hand  of  the  Lord  was 
against  the  Philistines  all  the  days  of  Samuel."  But 
probably  "  all  the  days  of  Samuel "  mean  only  the  days 
when  he  exerted  himself  actively  against    them.     As 


136  ■  THE   FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL. 

long  as  Samuel  watched  and  checked  them,  they  were 
kept  in  restraint ;  but  v/hen  he  ceased  to  do  so,  they 
resumed  their  active  hostihty.  The  concluding  verses 
of  chap.  xiii.  (19-23)  show  that  in  Saul's  time  the  Philis- 
tine oppression  had  become  so  galling  that  the  very 
smiths  had  been  removed  from  the  land  of  Israel,  and 
there  was  no  right  provision  even  for  sharpening  plough- 
shares, or  coulters,  or  axes,  or  mattocks.  Undoubtedly 
Saul  removed  this  oppression  for  a  time,  and  David's 
elegy  shows  how  beneficial  his  reign  was  in  some  other 
ways,  although  the  last  act  of  his  life  was  an  encounter 
with  the  Philistines  in  which  he  was  utterly  defeated. 
It  is  evident  that  before  Saul's  time  the  tyranny  of  their 
foes  had  been  very  galling  to  the  Israelites.  The  words 
of  God,  "  their  cry  is  come  up  to  Me,"  indicate  quietly 
a  very  terrible  state  of  distress.  They  carry  us  back 
to  the  words  uttered  at  the  burning  bush,  *'  I  have 
seen,  I  have  seen  the  affliction  of  My  people  which  are 
in  Egypt,  have  heard  their  cry  by  reason  of  their  task- 
masters ;  for  I  know  their  sorrows."  God  speaks  after 
the  manner  of  men.  He  needs  no  cry  to  come  into 
His  ears  to  tell  Him  of  the  woes  of  the  oppressed. 
Nevertheless  He  seems  to  wait  till  that  cry  is  raised, 
till  the  appeal  is  made  to  Him,  till  the  consciousness  of 
utter  helplessness  sends  men  to  His  footstool.  And  a 
very  blessed  truth  it  is,  that  He  sympathizes  with  the 
cry  of  the  oppressed.  There  is  much  meaning  in  the 
simple  expression — ''  their  cry  is  come  up  to  Me."  It 
denotes  a  very  tender  sympathy,  a  concern  for  all  that 
they  have  been  suffering,  and  a  resolution  to  interpose 
on  their  behalf.  God  is  never  impassive  nor  indifferent 
to  the  sorrows  and  sufferings  of  His  people.  All  are 
designed  to  serve  as  chastenings  with  a  view  to  ultimate 
good.    The  eye  of  God  is  ever  watching  to  see  whether 


15-27.]    FIRST  MEETING  OF  SAMUEL  AND  SAUL,     137 


the  chastening  is  sufficient,  and  when  it  is  so,  to  stop  the 
suffering.  In  the  Inquisitor's  chamber,  the  eye  of  God 
was  ever  on  the  boot  and  the  thumbscrew,  on  the  knife 
and  the  pincers,  on  the  furnace  and  all  the  other  instru- 
ments of  torture.  In  the  sick  room.  He  watches  the 
spent  and  struggling  patient,  knows  every  paroxysm  of 
pain,  knows  all  the  restlessness  and  tossing  of  the  weary 
night  He  understands  the  anguish  of  the  loving  heart 
when  one  after  another  of  its  treasures  is  torn  away. 
He  knows  the  unutterable  distress  when  a  child's  mis- 
conduct brings  down  grey  heirs  with  sorrow  to  the 
grave.  Appearances  may  be  all  the  other  way,  but 
"  the  Lord  God  is  merciful  and  gracious,  slow  to  anger 
and  of  great  compassion."  The  night  may  be  long  and 
weary,  but  the  dawn  comes  at  the  appointed  time. 
^'  Ye  have  heard  of  the  patience  of  Job,  and  have  seen 
the  end  of  the  Lord,  that  the  Lord  is  very  pitiful  and 
of  tender  mercy." 

But  now  Samuel  and  Saul  have  met.  Saul  is  as 
unfamiliar  with  Samuel's  appearance  as  with  his  name ; 
he  goes  up  to  him  and  asks  where  the  seer's  house  is. 
"  I  am  the  seer,"  replies  Samuel ;  but  at  the  moment 
Samuel  was  not  at  liberty,  and  could  not  converse  with 
Saul.  He  invites  him  to  go  up  with  him  to  the  high 
place,  and  take  part  in  the  religious  service.  Then  he 
invites  him  to  the  feast  that  was  to  follow  the  sacrifice. 
Next  day  he  is  to  deal  with  him  as  a  prophet,  making 
important  communications  to  him.  But  in  regard  to 
the  matter  which  occupies  him  at  the  moment,  his 
father's  asses,  he  need  trouble  himself  no  more  on  that 
head,  for  the  asses  are  found.  Then  he  gives  Saul  a 
hint  of  what  is  coming.  He  makes  an  announcement 
to  him  that  he  and  his  father's  house  are  the  objects 
of  the  whole  desire  of  Israel.     It  is  not  very  apparent 


THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL, 


whether  or  not  Saul  had  any  inkling  of  the  meaning  of 
this  remark.  It  may  be  that  he  viewed  it  as  a  mere 
expression  of  politeness,  savouring  of  the  customary 
exaggeration  of  the  East.  At  all  events,  his  answer 
was  couched  in  those  terms  of  extravagant  humility 
which  was  likewise  matter  of  Eastern  custom.  "  Am 
not  I  a  Benjamite,  of  the  smallest  of  the  tribes  of  Israel  ? 
and  my  family  the  least  of  all  the  families  of  the  tribe 
of  Benjamin  ?  Wherefore  then  speak  est  thou  so  tc 
me?" 

The  sacrifice  next  engages  the  attention  of  all. 
Samuel's  first  meeting  with  Saul  takes  place  over  the 
symbol  of  expiation,  over  the  sacrifice  that  shows  man 
to  be  a  sinner,  and  declares  that  without  shedding  of 
blood  there  is  no  remission  of  sin.  No  doubt  the 
circumstance  was  very  impressive  to  Samuel,  and 
would  be  turned  to  its  proper  use  in  subsequent  con- 
versation with  Saul,  whether  Saul  entered  into  the 
spirit  of  it  or  not.  If  it  be  asked.  How  could  a  sacrifice 
take  place  on  the  height  of  this  city,  whereas  God  had 
commianded  that  only  in  the  place  which  He  was  to 
choose  should  such  rites  be  performed  ? — the  answer  is, 
that  at  that  time  Shiloh  lay  in  ruins,  and  Mount  Zion 
was  still  in  the  possession  of  the  Jebusites.  The  final 
arrangements  had  not  yet  been  made  for  the  Hebrew 
ceremonial,  and  in  the  present  provisional  and  unsettled 
state  of  things,  sacrifices  were  not  limited  to  a  single 
place. 

After  the  sacrifice,  came  the  feast.  It  was  now  tha<- 
Samuel  began  to  give  more  explicit  hints  to  Saul  of 
the  dignity  to  which  he  was  to  be  raised.  The  feast 
was  held  in  "  the  parlour  " —  a  room  adjacent  to  the 
place  of  sacrifice,  to  which  Sam.uel  had  invited  a  large 
company- — thirty  of  the  chief  inhabitants  of  the  town. 


IX.  15-27.]    FIRyr  MEETING  OF  SAMUEL  AND  SAUL,     139 

First  Saul  and  his  servant  are  complimented  by  having 
the  place  of  honour  assigned  to  them.  Then  they  are 
honoured  by  having  a  portion  set  before  them  which 
had  been  speciallv  set  apart  for  them  the  day  before. 
The  speech  concerning  this  portion  in  ver.  24  is  some- 
what obscure  if  it  be  regarded  as  a  speech  of  Samuel's. 
It  seems  more  natural  to  regard  it  as  a  speech  of  the 
cook's.  It  will  be  observed  that  the  word  "  Samuel ' 
in  the  middle  of  the  verse  is  in  itaUcs,  showing  that 
it  is  not  in  the  Hebrew,  so  that  it  is  more  natural  to 
regard  the  clause  as  having  ''the  cook"  for  its  nomina- 
tive, and  indeed  this  talk  about  the  portion  is  more 
suitable  for  the  cook  than  for  Samuel.  Servants  were 
not  forbidden  to  speak  during  entertainments ;  nor  did 
sheir  masters  disdain  even  to  have  serious  conversation 
with  them  (see  Nehemiah  ii.  2-8).  There  is  another 
correction  of  the  Authorized  Version  that  needs  to  be 
made.  At  the  end  of  ver.  24  the  words  "  Since  I  said  " 
ure  not  a  literal  rendering.  The  original  is  simply  the 
"(vord  which  is  constantly  rendered  saying.  It  has 
fceen  suggested  ("  Speaker's  Commentary  ")  that  a  word 
♦r  two  should  be  supplied  to  make  the  sense  complete, 
^nd  the  verse  would  then  run: — "unto  this  time  hath 
^t  been  kept  for  thee  [against  the  festival  of  which 
Samuel  spake],  saying,  I  have  invited  the  people." 
The  part  thus  reserved  was  the  shoulder  and  its  ap- 
purtenances. Why  this  part  was  regarded  as  more 
honourable  than  any  other,  we  do  not  know,  nor  is  it 
of  any  moment ;  the  point  of  importance  being,  first, 
that  by  Samuel's  express  instructions  it  had  been 
reserved  for  Saul,  and  second,  that  these  instructions 
had  been  given  as  soon  as  Samuel  made  arrangements 
for  the  feast.  To  honour  Saul  as  the  destined  king 
of  Israel  was  Samuel's  unhesitating  purpose.      Some 


140  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL, 

men  might  have  said,  It  will  be  time  enough  to  shoi;* 
this  mark  of  respect  when  the  man  is  actually  chosei 
king.  Had  there  been  the  slightest  feeling  of  grudge  in 
the  mind  of  Samuel,  this  is  what  he  would  have  thought. 
But  instead  of  grudging  Saul  his  new  dignity,  he  is 
forward  to  acknowledge  it.  There  shall  be  no  holding 
back  on  his  part  of  honour  for  the  man  whom  the  Lord 
delighted  to  honour. 

If  the  words  of  ver.  24  were  really  spoken  by  the  cook, 
they  must  have  added  a  new  element  of  surprise  and 
impression  to  Saul.  It  was  apparent  that  he  had  been 
expected  to  this  feast.  The  cook  had  been  warned 
that  a  man  of  consequence  was  coming,  and  had  there- 
fore set  apart  that  portion  to  him.  Saul  must  have 
felt  both  that  a  supernatural  power  had  been  at  work, 
and  that  some  strange  destiny — possibly  the  royal 
dignity — was  in  reserve  for  him.  To  us,  pondering 
the  circumstances,  what  is  most  striking  is,  the  wonder- 
ful way  in  which  the  fixed  purpose  of  God  is  accom- 
plished, while  all  the  agents  in  the  matter  remain 
perfectly  free.  That  Saul  and  his  servant  should  be 
present  with  Samuel  at  that  feast,  was  the  fixed  decree 
of  heaven.  But  it  was  brought  about  quite  naturally. 
There  was  no  constraint  on  the  mind  of  Saul's  servant, 
when,  being  in  the  land  of  Zuph,  he  proposed  that 
they  should  go  into  the  city,  and  try  to  make  inquiry 
of  the  man  of  God.  There  was  no  constraint  on  the 
damsels  when  at  a  certain  time  they  went  down  to  the 
fountain  for  v^^ater,  and  on  their  way  met  Saul  and  his 
servant.  There  was  no  constraint  on  Saul  and  his 
servant,  save  that  created  by  common  sense,  when  they 
quickened  their  pace  in  order  to  meet  Samuel  on  the 
way  to  the  sacrifice.  Every  one  of  these  events  fell 
out  freely  and  naturally.     Yet  all  were  necessary  links 


X.  1 5-27-]    FIRST  MEETING  OF  SAMUEL  AND  SAUL.     141 


in  the  chain  of  God's  purposes.  From  God's  point  of 
view  they  were  necessary,  from  man's  point  of  view 
they  were  casual.  Thus  necessity  and  freedom  har- 
monized together,  as  they  always  do  in  the  plans 
and  operations  of  God.  It  is  absurd  to  say  that  the 
predestination  of  God  takes  away  the  liberty  of  man. 
It  is  unreasonable  to  suppose  that  because  God  has 
predestinated  all  events,  we  need  not  take  any  step 
in  the  matter  of  our  salvation.  Such  an  idea  is  founded 
on  an  utter  misunderstanding  of  the  relation  in  which 
God  has  placed  us  to  Him.  It  overlooks  the  great 
truth,  that  God's  ways  are  not  our  ways,  nor  His 
thoughts  our  thoughts.  The  relation  of  the  Infinite 
Will  to  the  wills  of  finite  creatures  is  a  mystery  we 
cannot  fathom  ;  but  the  effect  on  us  should  be  to  impel 
us  to  seek  that  our  will  may  ever  be  in  harmony  with 
God's,  and  that  thus  the  petition  in  the  Lord's  prayer 
may  be  fulfilled,  "  Thy  will  be  done  on  earth,  as  it  is  in 
heaven." 

The  feast  is  over;  Samuel  and  Saul  return  to  the 
city,  and  there,  on  the  housetop,  they  commune  to- 
gether. The  twenty-sixth  verse  seems  to  narrate  in 
detail  what  is  summarily  contained  in  the  twenty-fifth. 
After  returning  from  the  sacrifice  and  the  feast,  they 
seem  to  have  committed  themselves  to  rest.  In  the 
early  morning,  about  daybreak,  they  had  their  conver- 
sation on  the  housetop,  and  thereafter  Samuel  sent  Saul 
away,  convoying  him  part  of  the  road.  What  the  con- 
versation on  the  housetop  was,  we  are  not  told;  but 
we  have  no  difficulty  in  conjecturing.  Samuel  could 
not  but  communicate  to  Saul  the  treasured  thoughts 
of  his  lifetime  regarding  the  way  to  govern  Israel.  He 
must  have  recalled  to  him  God's  purpose  regarding  His 
people,  beginning  with  the  call  of  Abraham,  dwelling 


142  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL, 

on  the  deliverance  from  Egypt,  and  touching  on  the 
history  of  the  several  judges,  and  the  lessons  to  be 
derived  from  each.  We  may  fancy  the  fervour  v^ith 
which  he  v^ould  urge  on  Saul,  that  the  one  thing  most 
essential  for  the  prosperity  of  the  nation — the  one  thing 
u'hich  those  in  power  ought  continually  to  watch  and 
aim  at,  was,  lo3^alty  by  the  people  to  their  heavenly 
King,  and  the  faithful  observance  of  His  law  and  cove- 
nant. He  would  dwell  emphatically  on  the  many 
instances  in  which  neglect  of  the  covenant  had  brought 
disaster  and  misery,  and  on  the  wonderful  change  in 
their  outward  circumstances  which  had  come  with 
every  return  of  fidelity  to  their  King.  Granted,  they 
were  soon  to  have  a  king.  They  were  to  change  their 
/orm  of  government,  and  be  like  the  rest  of  the  nations. 
But  if  they  changed  their  form  of  government,  they 
were  not  to  surrender  the  palladium  of  their  nation, 
ichey  were  not  to  abandon  their  "  gloria  et  tutamen." 
The  new  king  would  be  tempted  like  all  the  kings 
around  him  to  regard  his  own  will  as  his  only  rule  of 
action,  and  to  fall  in  with  the  prevalent  notion,  that 
kings  were  above  the  law,  because  the  king's  will  was 
Ihe  law,  and  nothing  could  be  higher  than  that.  What 
an  infinite  calamity  it  would  be  to  himself  and  to  the 
nation,  if  the  new  king  of  Israel  were  to  fall  into  such 
a  delusion !  Yes,  the  king  was  above  the  law,  and  the 
king's  will  was  the  law ;  but  it  was  the  King  of  kings 
alone  who  had  this  prerogative,  and  woe  to  the  earthly 
ruler  that  dared  to  climb  into  His  throne,  and  take 
into  his  puny  hands  the  sceptre  of  the  Omnipotent ! 

Such,  we  may  well  believe,  was  the  tenor  of  that  first 
meeting  of  Samuel  and  Saul.  We  cannot  but  carry 
forward  our  thoughts  a  little,  and  think  what  was  the 
last.     The  last  meeting  was  at  Endor,  where  in  dark- 


ix.  15-27.]    FIRST  MEETING  OF  SAMUEL  AND  SAUL.     143 

ncss  and  utter  despair,  the  king  of  Israel  had  thought 
of  his  early  friend,  had  perhaps  recalled  his  gentle 
kindness  on  this  first  occasion  of  their  meeting,  and 
wondered  whether  he  might  not  be  able  and  willing  to 
throw  some  light  once  more  upon  his  path.  But  alas, 
the  day  of  merciful  visitation  was  gone.  The  first 
conversation  was  in  the  brightness  of  early  morning  ; 
the  last  in  midnight  gloom.  The  time  of  day  was 
appropriate  for  each.  On  that  sepulchral  night,  the 
worst  evils  that  he  had  dreaded,  and  against  which  he 
had  doubtless  warned  him  on  that  housetop,  had  come 
to  pass.  Self-willed  and  regardless  of  God,  Saul  had 
taken  his  own  course,  and  brought  his  people  to  the 
very  verge  of  ruin.  Differing,  toto  ccelo^  from  Samuel  in 
his  treatment  of  his  successor,  he  had  hunted  David 
like  a  partridge  on  the  mountains,  and  stormed  against 
the  man  who  was  to  bring  back  to  the  nation  the 
blessings  of  which  he  had  robbed  it.  Brought  to  bay 
at  last  by  his  recklessness  and  passion,  he  could  only 
reap  the  fruit  of  what  he  had  sown ;  "  for  God  is  not 
mocked ;  they  that  sow  to  the  flesh  shall  of  the  flesh 
reap  corruption,  and  they  that  sow  to  the  Spirit  shall, 
of  the  Spirit,  reap  life  everlasting."  Again  there  was 
to  ring  out  the  great  law  of  the  kingdom, — "  Them  that 
honour  Me,  I  will  honour ;  while  they  that  despise  Me 
shall  be  lightly  esteemed." 

The  good  words  of  Samuel  fell  not  into  good  ground. 
He  had  not  in  Saul  a  congenial  hearer.  Saul  was  too 
worldly  a  man  to  care  for,  or  appreciate  spiritual  things. 
Alas,  how  often  for  a  similar  reason,  the  best  words 
of  the  best  men  fail  of  their  purpose !  But  how  is  this 
ever  to  be  cured  ?  How  is  the  uncongenial  heart  to 
become  a  fit  bed  for  the  good  seed  of  the  Kingdom  ? 
[  own,  it  is  a  most  difficult  thing.     Those  who   are 


144  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL. 

afflicted  with  indifference  to  spiritual  truth  will  not 
seek  a  remedy,  because  the  very  essence  of  their 
malady  is  that  they  do  not  care.  But  surely  their 
Christian  friends  and  relatives,  and  all  interested  in 
their  welfare,  will  care  very  much.  Have  you  such 
persons — persons  whose  worldly  hearts  show  no  sym- 
pathy with  Divine  truth — among  your  acquaintances 
or  in  your  families  ?  Persons  so  steeped  in  worldliness 
that  the  strongest  statements  of  saving  truth  are  aa 
much  lost  upon  them  as  grains  of  the  best  wheat  would 
be  lost  if  sown  in  a  heap  of  sand  ?  O  how  should  you 
be  earnest  for  such  in  prayer ;  there  is  a  remedy,  and 
there  is  a  Physician  able  to  apply  it ;  the  Spirit  of  God 
if  appealed  to,  can  repeat  the  process  that  was  so  effectual 
at  Philippi,  when  "  the  Lord  opened  the  heart  of  Lydia, 
that  she  attended  to  the  things  that  were  spoken  by 
Paul."  *'  If  ye  then  that  are  evil  know  how  to  give 
good  things  unto  your  children,  how  much  more  shall 
your  Father  who  is  in  heaven  give  the  Holy  Spirit 
to  them  that  ask  Him." 


CHAPTER   XIII. 

SAUL   ANOINTED  BY  SAMUEU 
I  Samuel  x.  i — 16. 

THERE  is  a  remarkable  minuteness  of  detail  in  this 
and  other  narratives  in  Samuel,  suggesting  the 
authenticity  of  the  narrative,  and  the  authorship  of  one 
who  was  personally  connected  with  the  transactions. 
The  historical  style  of  Scripture  is  very  characteristic ; 
sometimes  great  periods  of  time  are  passed  over  with 
hardly  a  word,  and  sometimes  events  of  little  apparent 
importance  are  recorded  with  what  might  be  thought 
needless  minuteness.  In  Genesis,  the  whole  history 
of  the  world  before  the  flood  is  despatched  in  seven 
chapters,  less  than  is  occupied  with  the  history  of 
Joseph.  Enoch's  biography  is  in  one  little  verse,  while 
a  whole  chapter  is  taken  up  with  the  funeral  of  Sarah, 
and  another  chapter  of  unusual  length  with  the  marry- 
ing of  Isaac.  Yet  we  can  be  at  no  loss  to  discover 
good  reasons  for  this  arrangement.  It  combines  two 
forms  of  history — annals,  and  dramatic  story.  Annals 
are  short,  and  necessarily  somewhat  dry ;  but  they  have 
the  advantage  of  embracing  much  in  comparatively 
short  compass.  The  dramatic  story  is  necessarily 
diffuse  ;  it  occupies  a  large  amount  of  space ;  but  it 
has  the  advantage  of  presenting  a  living  picture — of 
bringing  past  events  before  the  reader  as  they  happened 

VOL.  I.  lO 


146  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL. 

at  the  time.  If  the  whole  history  of  the  Bible  had 
been  in  the  form  of  annals,  it  would  have  been  very 
useful,  but  it  would  have  wanted  human  interest.  If  it 
had  been  all  in  the  dramatic  form,  it  would  have 
occupied  too  much  space.  By  the  combination  of  the 
two  methods,  we  secure  the  compact  precision  of  the 
one,  and  the  living  interest  of  the  other.  In  the  verses 
that  are  to  form  the  subject  of  the  present  lecture,  we 
have  a  lively  dramatic  picture  of  what  took  place  in 
connection  with  the  anointing  of  Saul  by  Samuel  as 
king  of  Israel.  The  event  was  a  very  important  one, 
as  showing  the  pains  that  were  taken  to  impress  him 
with  the  solemnity  of  the  office,  and  his  obligation  to 
undertake  it  in  full  accord  with  God's  sacred  purpose 
in  connection  with  His  people  Israel.  Everything  was 
planned  to  impress  on  Saul  that  his  elevation  to  the 
royal  dignity  was  not  to  be  viewed  by  him  as  a  mere 
piece  of  good  fortune,  and  to  induce  him  to  enter  on 
the  office  with  a  solemn  sense  of  responsibility,  and  in 
a  spirit  entirely  different  from  that  of  the  neighbour- 
ing kings,  who  thought  only  of  their  royal  position  as 
enabling  them  to  gratify  the  desires  of  their  own 
hearts.  Both  Saul  and  the  people  must  see  the  hand 
of  God  very  plainly  in  Saul's  elevation,  and  the  king 
must  enter  on  his  duties  with  a  profound  sense  of  the 
supernatural  influences  through  which  he  has  been 
elevated,  and  his  obligation  to  rule  the  people  in  the 
fear,  and  according  to  the  will,  of  God. 

Though  the  servant  that  accompanied  Saul  seems 
to  have  been  as  much  a  companion  and  adviser  as  a 
servant,  and  to  have  been  present  as  yet  in  all 
Samuel's  intercourse  with  Saul,  yet  the  act  of  anoint- 
ing which  the  prophet  was  now  to  perform  was  more 
suitable  to  be   done  in  private  than  in  the  presence 


X.  i-i6.]  SAUL  ANOINTED   BY  SAMUEL,  147 

of  another;  consequently  the  servant  was  sent  on 
before  (ch.  ix.  27).  It  would  seem  to  have  been 
Samuel's  intention,  wliile  paying  honour  to  Saul  as  one 
to  whom  honour  was  due,  and  thus  hinting  at  his 
coming  elevation,  not  to  make  it  public,  not  to  anticipate 
the  public  selection  which  would  follow  soon  in  an 
orderly  way.  It  was  right  that  Saul  himself  should 
know  what  was  coming,  and  that  his  mind  should  be 
prepared  for  it ;  but  it  was  not  right  at  this  stage  that 
others  should  know^  it,  for  that  would  have  seemed  an 
interference  with  the  choice  of  the  people.  It  must 
have  been  in  some  quiet  corner  of  the  road  that  Samuel 
took  out  his  vial  of  sacred  oil,  and  poured  it  on  Saul 
to  anoint  him  king  of  Israel.  The  kiss  which  he  gave 
him  was  the  kiss  of  homage,  a  very  old  way  of 
recognizing  sovereignty  (Ps.  ii.  12),  and  still  kept  up 
in  the  custom  of  kissing  the  sovereign's  hand  after 
elevation  to  office  or  dignity.  To  be  thus  anointed  by 
God's  recognised  servant,  was  to  receive  the  approval 
of  God  Himself.  Saul  now  became  God's  messiah — 
the  Lord's  anointed.  For  the  term  messiah,  as  applied 
to  Christ,  belongs  to  His  kingly  office.  Though  the 
priests  likewise  were  anointed,  the  title  derived  from 
that  act  was  not  appropriated  by  them,  but  by  the 
kings.  It  was  counted  a  high  and  solemn  dignity, 
making  the  king's  person  sacred,  in  the  eyes  of  every 
God-fearing  man.  Yet  this  was  not  an  indelible 
character ;  it  might  be  forfeited  by  unfaithfulness  and 
transgression.  The  only  Messiah,  the  only  Anointed 
One,  who  was  incapable  of  being  set  aside,  was  He 
whom  the  kings  of  Israel  typified.  Of  Him  Isaiah 
foretold:  '^Of  the  increase  of  His  government  and 
peace  there  shall  be  no  end,  upon  the  throne  of  David 
and  upon  his  kingdom,  to  order  it  and  to  establish  it 


U8  THE  FIRST  BOOK   OF  SAMULL. 


with  judgment  and  with  justice,  from  henceforth  even 
for  ever."  /  nd  in  announcing  the  birth  of  Jesus,  the 
angel  foretold  :  "  He  shall  reign  over  the  house  of 
Jacob  for  ever,  and  of  His  kingdom  there  shall  be 
no  end." 

It  is  evident  that  Saul  was  surprised  at  the  acts  of 
Samuel.  We  can  readily  fancy  his  look  of  astonish- 
ment after  the  venerable  prophet  had  given  him  the 
kiss  of  homage, — the  searching  gaze  that  asked,  ''What 
do  you  mean  by  that  ?  "  Samuel  was  ready  with  his 
answer:  "  Is  it  not  because  the  Lord  hath  anointed  thee 
to  be  captain  over  His  heritage  ?  "  But  in  so  momentous 
a  matter,  involving  a  supernatural  communication  of 
the  will  of  God,  an  assurance  even  from  Samuel  was 
hardly  sufficient.  It  was  reasonable  that  Saul  should 
be  supplied  with  tangible  proofs  that  in  anointing  him 
as  king  Samuel  had  complied  with  the  will  of  God. 
These  tangible  proofs  Samuel  proceeded  to  give. 
They  consisted  of  predictions  of  certain  events  that 
were  about  to  happen — events  that  it  was  not  within 
the  range  of  ordinary  sagacity  to  foresee,  and  which 
w^ere  therefore  fitted  to  convince  Saul  that  Samuel  was 
in  possession  of  supernatural  authority,  and  that  the 
act  of  consecration  which  he  had  just  performed  was 
agreeable  to  the  will  of  God. 

The  first  of  these  proofs  was,  that  when  he  had  pro- 
ceeded on  his  journey  as  far  as  Rachel's  tomb,  he 
would  meet  with  two  men  who  would  tell  him  that  the 
lost  asses  had  been  found,  and  that  his  father's  anxiety 
was  now  about  his  son.  It  must  be  owned  that  the 
localities  here  are  very  puzzling.  If  the  meeting  with 
Samuel  was  near  Ramah  of  Benjamin,  Saul,  in  returning 
to  Gibeah,  would  not  have  occasion  to  go  near  Rachel's 
tomb.     We  can  only  say  he  may  have  had  some  reason 


i-i6.]  SAUL   ANOINTED  B\   SAMUEL, 


149 


for  taking  this  route  unknown  to  us.  Here  he  would 
find  a  confirmation  of  what  Samuel  had  told  him  on 
the  day  before  ;  and  his  mind  being  thus  relieved  of 
anxiety,  he  would  have  more  freedom  to  ponder  the 
marvellous  things  of  which  Samuel  had  spoken  to  him. 

The  next  token  was  to  be  found  in  the  plain  of 
Tabor,  but  this  Tabor  can  have  no  connection  with  the 
well-known  mountain  of  that  name  in  the  plain  of 
Esdraelon.  Some  have  conjectured  that  this  Tabor  is 
derived  from  Deborah,  Rachel's  nurse,  who  was  buried 
in  the  neighbourhood  of  Bethel  (Gen.  xxxv.  8),  but 
there  is  no  probability  in  this  conjecture.  Here  three 
men,  going  up  to  Bethel  to  a  religious  festival  were  to 
meet  Saul ;  and  they  were  to  present  him,  as  an  act  of 
hom.age,  with  two  of  their  three  loaves.  This  was 
another  evidence  that  God  was  filling  men's  hearts  with 
a  rare  feeling  towards  him. 

The  third  token  was  to  be  the  most  remarkable  of 
any.  It  was  to  occur  at  what  is  called  ''the  hill  of 
God."  Literally  this  is  "Gibeah  of  God  "—God's 
Gibeah.  It  seems  to  have  been  Saul's  own  city,  but 
the  name  Gibeah  may  have  been  given  to  the  whole 
hill  where  the  city  lay.  The  precise  spot  where  the 
occurrence  was  to  take  place  was  at  the  garrison  of  the 
Philistines.  (Thus  it  appears  incidentally  that  the  old 
enemy  were  again  harassing  the  country.)  Gibeah, 
which  is  elsewhere  called  Gibeah  of  Saul,  is  here  called 
God's  Gibeah,  because  of  the  sacred  services  of  which 
it  was  the  seat.  Here  Saul  would  meet  a  company  of 
prophets  coming  down  from  the  holy  place,  with  psaltery, 
and  tabret,  and  pipe,  and  harp,  and  here  his  mind 
would  undergo  a  change,  and  he  Avould  be  impelled  to 
join  the  prophets'  company.  This  was  a  strange 
token,  with  a  strange  result. 


I50  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL, 

We  must  try,  first,  to  form  some  idea  of  Saul's  state 
of  mind  in  the  midst  of  these  strange  events. 

The  thought  of  his  being  king  of  Israel  must  have 
set  his  whole  being  vibrating  with  high  emotion.  No 
mind  can  take  in  at  first  all  that  is  involved  in  such  a 
stroke  of  fortune.  A  tumult  of  feeling  surges  through 
the  mind.  It  is  intoxicated  with  the  prospect.  Glimpses 
of  this  pleasure  and  of  that,  now  brought  within  reach, 
flit  before  the  fancy.  The  whole  pulses  of  Saul's 
nature  must  have  been  quickened.  A  susceptibility  of 
impression  formerly  unknown  must  have  come  to 
him.  He  was  like  a  cloud  surcharged  with  electricity ; 
he  was  in  that  state  of  nervous  excitement  which  craves 
a  physical  outlet,  whether  in  singing,  or  shouting,  or 
leaping, — anything  to  relieve  the  brain  and  nervous 
system,  which  seem  to  tremble  and  struggle  under  the 
extraordinary  pressure. 

But  mingling  with  this,  there  must  have  been 
another,  and  perhaps  deeper,  emotion  at  work  in  Saul's 
bosom.  He  had  been  brought  into  near  contact  with 
the  Supernatural.  The  thought  of  the  Infinite  Power 
that  ordains  and  governs  all  had  been  stirred  very 
vividly  within  him.  The  three  tokens  of  Divine  ordina- 
tion met  with  in  succession  at  Rachel's  tomb,  in  the 
plain  of  Tabor,  and  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Gibeah, 
must  have  impressed  him  very  profoundly.  Probably  he 
had  never  had  any  very  distinct  impression  of  the  great 
Supernatural  Being  before.  The  worldly  turn  of  mind 
which  was  natural  to  him  would  not  occupy  itself  with 
any  such  thoughts.  But  now  it  was  made  clear  to  him 
not  only  that  there  was  a  Supernatural  Being,  but  that 
He  was  dealing  very  closely  wiih  him.  It  is  always  a 
solemn  thing  to  feel  in  the  presence  of  God,  and  to 
remember  that  He  is  searching  us  and  knowing  vs, 


<.  i-i6.]  SAUL  ANOINTED   BY  SAMUEL.  151 


knowing  our  sitting  down  and  our  rising  up,  and  com- 
prehending all  our  thoughts  afar  off.  At  such  times 
the  sense  of  our  guilt,  feebleness,  dependence,  usually 
comes  on  us,  full  and  strong.  Must  it  not  have  been 
so  with  Saul  ?  If  the  prospect  of  kingly  power  was 
fitted  to  puff  him  up,  the  sense  of  God's  nearness  to 
him  was  fitted  to  cast  him  down.  What  was  he  before 
God  ?  An  insignificant  worm,  a  guilty  sinner,  unworthy 
to  be  called  God's  son. 

The  whole  susceptibilities  of  Saul  were  in  a  state 
of  high  excitement;  the  sense  of  the  Divine  presence 
was  on  him,  and  for  the  moment  a  desire  to  render 
to  God  some  acknowledgment  of  all  the  mercy  which 
had  come  upon  him.  When  the  company  of  pro- 
phets met  him  coming  down  the  hill,  '*  the  Spirit 
of  God  came  upon  him,  and  he  prophesied  with  them." 
When  in  the  Old  Testament  the  Spirit  of  God  is  said 
to  come  on  one,  the  meaning  is  not  always  that  He 
comes  in  regenerating  and  sanctifying  grace.  The 
Spirit  of  God  in  Bezaleel,  the  son  of  Uri,  made  him 
cunning  in  all  manner  of  workmanship,  to  work  in 
gold,  and  in  silver,  and  in  brass.  The  Spirit  of  God, 
when  He  came  upon  Samson,  magnified  his  physical 
strength,  and  fitted  him  for  the  most  wonderful  feats. 
So  the  Spirit  of  God,  when  He  came  on  Saul,  did  not 
necessarily  regenerate  his  being  ;  alas  1  in  Saul's  future 
life,  there  is  only  too  much  evidence  of  an  unchanged 
heart!  Still  it  might  be  said  of  Saul  that  he  was 
changed  into  another  man.  Elevated  by  the  prospect 
before  him,  but  awed  at  the  same  time  by  a  sense  ol 
God's  nearness,  he  had  no  heart  for  the  pursuits  in 
which  he  would  have  engaged  on  his  return  home 
had  no  such  change  occurred.  In  the  mood  of  mmd 
in  which  he  was  now,  he  could  not  look  at  anything 


IS2  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL, 

frivolous :  his  mind  soared  to  higher  things.  When 
therefore  he  met  the  company  of  prophets  coming  down 
the  hill,  he  was  impelled  by  the  surge  of  his  feelings 
to  join  their  company  and  take  part  in  their  song. 
They  were  returning  from  the  high  place  where  they 
had  been  engaged  in  worship,  and  now  they  seem  to 
have  been  continuing  the  service,  sounding  out  the 
high  praises  of  God,  and  thankfully  remembering  His 
mercies.  It  was  the  same  God  who  had  so  wonderfully 
drawn  near  to  Saul,  and  conferred  on  him  privileges 
which  were  as  exalted  as  they  were  undeserved.  No 
wonder  the  heart  of  Saul  caught  the  infection,  and 
threw  itself  for  the  time  into  the  service  of  praise  I  No 
young  man  could  well  have  resisted  the  impulse.  Had 
he  not  been  chosen  out  of  all  the  ten  thousands  of  Israel 
for  an  honour  and  a  function  higher  than  any  Israelite 
had  ever  yet  enjoyed  ?  Ought  he  not,  must  he  not,  in 
all  the  enthusiasm  of  profoundest  wonder,  extol  the  name 
of  Him  from  whom  so  suddenly,  so  unexpectedly,  yet 
so  assuredly,  this  marvellous  favour  had  come  ? 

But  it  was  an  employment  very  different  from  what 
had  hitherto  been  his  custom.  That  utter  worldliness 
of  mind  which  we  have  referred  to  as  his  natural 
disposition  would  have  made  him  scorn  any  such 
employment  in  his  ordinary  mood  as  utterly  alien 
to  his  feelings.  Too  often  we  see  that  worldly- 
minded  men  not  only  have  no  relish  for  spiritual  exer- 
cises, but  feel  bitterly  and  scornfully  toward  those 
who  affect  them.  The  reason  is  not  far  to  seek.  They 
know  that  religious  men  count  them  guilty  of  sin, 
of  great  sin,  in  so  neglecting  the  service  of  God.  To 
be  condemned,  whether  openly  or  not,  galls  their 
pride,  and  sets  them  to  disparage  those  who  have  so 
low  an  opinion  of  them.     It  is  not  said  that  Saul  had  felt 


X.  i-i6.]  SAUL   ANOIATED   BY  SAMUEL.  153 

bitterly  toward  religious  men  previous  to  this  time. 
But  whether  he  did  so  or  not,  he  appears  to  have  kept 
aloof  from  them  quite  as  much  as  if  he  had.  And  now 
in  his  own  cit}^  he  appears  among  the  prophets,  as 
if  sharing  their  inspiration,  and  joining  with  them 
openly  in  the  praises  of  God.  It  is  so  strange  a  sight 
that  every  one  is  astonished.  "Saul  among  the  pro- 
phets ! "  people  exclaim.  '^  Shall  wonders  ever  cease  ?  " 
And  yet  Saul  was  not  in  his  right  place  among  the 
prophets.  Saul  was  like  the  stony  ground  seed  in  the 
parable  of  the  sower.  He  had  no  depth  of  root.  His 
enthusiasm  on  this  occasion  was  the  result  of  forces 
that  did  not  work  at  the  heart  of  his  nature.  It  was 
the  result  of  the  new  and  most  remarkable  situation 
in  which  he  found  himself,  not  of  any  new  principle  of 
life,  any  principle  that  would  involve  a  radical  change. 
It  is  a  solemn  fact  that  men  may  be  worked  on  by 
outer  forces  so  as  to  do  many  things  that  seem  to  be 
acts  of  Divine  service,  but  are  not  so  really.  A  man 
suddenly  raised  to  a  high  and  influential  position  feels 
the  influence  of  the  change, — feels  himself  sobered  and 
solemnized  by  it,  and  for  a  time  appears  to  live  and  act 
under  higher  considerations  than  he  used  to  acknow- 
ledge before.  But  when  he  gets  used  to  his  new 
position,  when  the  surprise  has  abated,  and  every- 
thing around  him  has  become  normal  to  him,  his  old 
principles  of  action  return.  A  young  man  called 
suddenly  to  take  the  place  of  a  most  worthy  and 
honoured  father  feels  the  responsibility  of  wearing 
such  a  mantle,  and  struggles  for  a  time  to  fulfil  his 
father's  ideal.  But  ere  long  the  novelty  of  his  position 
wears  away,  the  thought  of  his  father  recurs  less 
frequently,  and  his  old  viev/s  and  feelings  resume  their 
sway.     Admission  to  the  fellowship  of  a  Church  which 


154  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL, 

sustains  a  high  repute  may  have  at  first  not  only  a 
restraining,  but  a  stimulating  and  elevating  effect,  until, 
the  position  becoming  familiar  to  one,  the  emotions  it 
first  excited  die  away.  This  risk  is  peculiarly  incident 
to  those  w^ho  bear  office  in  the  Church.  Ordination 
to  the  ministry,  or  to  any  other  spiritual  office,  solemn- 
izes one  at  first,  even  though  one  may  not  be  truly 
converted,  and  nerves  one  v^-ith  strength  and  reso- 
lution to  throw  off  many  an  evil  habit.  But  the 
solemn  impression  wanes  wath  time,  and  the  carnal 
nature  asserts  its  claims.  How  earnest  and  how 
particular  men  ought  ever  to  be  in  examining  them- 
selves whether  their  serious  impressions  are  the  effect 
of  a  true  change  of  nature,  or  whether  they  are  not  mere 
temporary  experiences,  the  casual  result  of  external 
circumstances. 

But  how  is  this  to  be  ascertained?  Let  us  recall 
the  test  with  which  our  Lord  has  furnished  us.  "  Not 
every  one  that  saith  unto  Me,  Lord,  Lord,  shall  enter 
into  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  but  he  that  doeth  the  will 
of  My  Father  which  is  in  heaven.  Many  will  say  unto 
Me  in  that  day,  Lord,  Lord,  have  we  not  prophesied 
in  Thy  name,  and  in  Thy  name  have  cast  out  devils, 
and  in  Thy  name  have  done  many  wonderful  works  ? 
Then  will  I  say  unto  them,  I  never  knew  you ;  depart 
from  Me,  ye  that  work  iniquity."  The  real  test  is  a 
changed  will ;  a  will  no  longer  demanding  that  self 
be  pleased,  but  that  God  be  pleased  ;  a  will  yielding 
up  everything  to  the  will  of  God ;  a  will  continually 
asking  what  is  right  and  what  is  true,  not  what  will 
please  me,  or  what  will  be  a  gain  to  me;  a  will  over- 
powered by  the  sense  of  what  is  due  in  nature  to  the 
Lord  and  Judge  of  all,  and  of  what  is  due  in  grace  to 
Him  that  loved  us  and  washed  us  from  our  sirs  in  His 


X.  i-i6.]  SAUL  ANOINTED  BY  SAMUEL,  155 

own  blood.  Have  you  thus  surrendered  yourselves  to 
God  ?  At  the  heart  and  root  of  your  nature  is  there 
the  profound  desire  to  do  what  is  well-pleasing  in 
His  sight  ?  If  so,  then,  even  amid  abounding  infirmi- 
ties, you  may  hold  that  you  are  the  child  of  God.  But 
if  still  the  principle— silent,  perhaps,  and  unavowed, 
but  real — that  moves  you  and  regulates  your  life  be  that 
of  self-pleasing,  any  change  that  may  have  occurred 
otherwise  must  have  sprung  only  from  outward  con- 
ditions, and  the  prayer  needs  to  go  out  from  you  on  the 
wings  of  irrepressible  desire,  ^'  Create  in  me  a  clean 
heart,  O  Lord,  and  renew  a  right  spirit  within  me." 

Two  things  in  this  part  of  the  chapter  have  yet  to  be 
adverted  to.  The  first  is  that  somewhat  mysterious 
question  (ver.  12)  which  some  one  asked  on  seeing  Saul 
among  the  prophets — '^  But  who  is  their  father  ? " 
Various  explanations  have  been  given  of  this  question  ; 
but  the  most  natural  seems  to  be,  that  it  was  designed 
to  meet  a  reason  for  the  surprise  felt  at  Saul  being 
among  the  prophets — viz.  that  his  father  Kish  w^as  a 
godless  man.  That  consideration  is  irrelevant;  for 
who,  asks  this  person,  is  the  father  of  the  prophets  ? 
The  piophetic  gift  does  not  depend  on  fatherhood.  It 
is  not  by  connection  with  their  fathers  that  the  prophetic 
band  enjoy  their  privileges.  Why  should  not  Saul  be 
among  the  prophets  as  well  as  any  of  them?  Such  men 
are  born  not  of  blood,  nor  of  the  will  of  man,  nor  of  the 
will  of  the  flesh,  but  of  God. 

The  other  point  remaining  to  be  noticed  is  Saul's 
concealment  from  his  uncle  of  all  that  Samuel  had  said 
about  the  kingdom.  It  appears  from  this  both  that 
Saul  was  yet  of  a  modest,  humble  spirit,  and  perhaps 
that  his  uncle  would  have  made  an  unwise  use  of  the 
information  if  he  had  got  it.     It  would  be  time  enough 


156  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL. 

for  that  to  be  known  when  God's  way  of  bringing  it  to 
pass  should  come.  There  is  a  time  to  speak  and  a  time 
to  keep  silence.  Saul  told  enough  to  the  uncle  to 
establish  belief  in  the  supernatural  power  of  Samuel, 
but  nothing  to  gratify  mere  curiosity.  Thus  in  many 
ways  Saul  commends  himself  to  us  in  this  chapter,  and 
in  no  way  does  he  provoke  our  blame.  He  was  like 
the  young  man  in  the  Gospel  in  whom  our  Lord  found 
so  much  that  was  favourable.  Alas,  he  was  like  the 
young  man  also  in  the  particular  that  made  all  the  rest 
of  little  effect — "  One  thing  thou  lackest." 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

SAUL    CHOSEN-  KING 
I  Samuel  x.  17 — 27. 

WHEN  first  the  desire  to  have  a  Icing  came  to  a 
height  with  the  people,  they  had  the  grace  to 
go  to  Samuel,  and  endeavour  to  arrange  the  matter 
through  him.  They  .did  not,  indeed,  show  much  regard 
to  his  feelings  ;  rather  they  showed  a  sort  of  childlike 
helplessness,  not  appearing  to  consider  how  much  he 
would  be  hurt  both  by  their  virtual  rejection  of  his 
government,  and  by  their  blunt  reference  to  the  un- 
worthy behaviour  of  his  sons.  But  it  was  a  good  thing 
that  they  came  to  Samuel  at  all.  They  were  not  pre- 
pared to  carry  out  their  wishes  by  lawless  violence ; 
they  were  not  desirous  to  make  use  of  the  usual  Oriental 
methods  of  revolution — massacre  and  riot.  It  was  so 
far  well  that  they  desired  to  avail  themselves  of  the 
peaceful  instrumentality  of  Samuel.  We  have  seen 
how  Samuel  carried  the  matter  to  the  Lord,  and  how 
the  Lord  yielded  so  far  to  the  wish  of  the  nation  as 
to  permit  them  to  have  a  king.  And  Samuel  having 
determined  not  to  take  offence,  but  to  continue  in 
friendly  relations  to  the  people  and  do  his  utmost  to  turn 
the  change  to  the  best  possible  account,  now  pro- 
ceeds to  superintend  the  business  of  election.  He 
sumnftons  the  people  10  the  Lord  to  Mizpeh ;  that  is, 


158  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL. 

he  convenes  the  heads  of  the  various  tribes  to  a 
meeting,  which  was  not  to  be  counted  a  rough  poHtical 
convention,  but  a  solemn  rehgious  gathering  in  the 
very  presence  of  the  Lord.  Either  before  the  meeting, 
or  at  the  meeting,  the  principle  must  have  been  settled 
on  which  the  election  was  to  be  made.  It  was,  how- 
ever, not  so  much  the  people  that  were  to  choose  as 
God.  The  selection  was  to  take  place  by  lot.  This 
method  was  resorted  to  as  the  best  fitted  to  show  who 
was  the  object  of  God's  choice.  There  seems  to  have 
been  no  trace  of  difference  of  opinion  as  to  its  being 
the  right  method  of  procedure. 

But  before  the  lot  was  actually  cast,  Samuel  ad« 
dressed  to  the  assembly  one  of  those  stern,  terrible 
exposures  of  the  spirit  that  had  led  to  the  transaction 
which  would  surely  have  turned  a  less  self-willed  and 
stiff-necked  people  from  their  purpose,  and  constrained 
them  to  revert  to  their  original  economy.  *'  Thus  saith 
the  Lord  God  of  Israel:  I  brought  up  Israel  out  of 
Egypt,  and  delivered  you  out  of  the  hand  of  the  Egyp- 
tians, and  out  of  the  hand  of  all  kingdoms,  and  of  them 
that  oppressed  you  ;  and  ye  have  this  day  rejected 
your  God,  who  Himself  saved  you  out  of  all  your  adver- 
sities and  your  tribulations ;  and  ye  have  said  unto 
Him,  Nay,  but  set  a  king  over  us."  How  could  the 
people,  we  may  w^ell  ask,  get  over  this  ?  How  could 
they  prefer  an  earthly  king  to  a  heavenly  ?  Vv^hat 
possible  benefit  worth  naming  could  accrue  to  them 
from  a  transaction  dishonouring  to  the  Lord  of  heaven, 
which,  if  it  did  not  make  Him  their  enemy,  could  not 
but  chill  His  interest  in  them  ? 

Perhaps,  however,  we  may  wonder  less  at  the  be- 
haviour of  the  Israelites  on  this  occasion  if  we  bear  in 
mind   how  often   the  same  offence  is  committed,  and 


■27.]  SAUL   CHOSEN  KING. 


«59 


with  how  h'ttle  thought  and  consideration,  at  the  pre- 
sent day.  To  begin  with,  take  the  case — and  it  is  a 
very  common  one — of  those  who  have  been  dedicated 
to  God  in  baptism,  but  who  cast  their  baptismal  cove- 
nant to  the  winds.  The  time  comes  when  the  provi- 
sional dedication  to  the  Lord  should  be  followed  up  by 
an  actual  and  hearty  consecration  of  themselves.  FaiHng 
that,  what  can  be  said  of  them  but  that  they  reject  God 
as  their  King  ?  And  with  what  want  of  concern  is  this 
often  done,  and  sometimes  in  the  face  of  remonstrances, 
as,  for  instance,  by  the  many  young  men  in  our  congre- 
gations who  allow  the  time  for  decision  to  pass  without 
ever  presenting  themselves  to  the  Church  as  desirous 
to  take  on  them  the  yoke  of  Christ !  A  moment's 
thought  might  show  them  that  if  they  do  not  actively 
join  themselves  to  Christ,  they  virtually  sever  them- 
selves from  Him.  If  I  make  a  provisional  bargain  with 
any  one  to  last  for  a  short  time,  and  at  the  end  of 
that  time  take  no  steps  to  renew  it,  I  actually  re- 
nounce it.  Not  to  renew  the  covenant  of  baptism,  when 
years  of  discretion  have  been  reached,  is  virtually  to 
break  it  off.  Much  consideration  must  be  had  for  the 
consciousness  of  unworthiness,  but  even  that  is  not 
a  sufficient  reason,  because  our  worthiness  can  never 
come  from  what  we  are  in  ourselves,  but  from  our  faith 
in  Him  who  alone  can  supply  us  with  the  wedding 
garment. 

Then  there  are  those  who  reject  God  in  a  more 
outrageous  form.  There  are  those  who  plunge  boldly 
into  the  stream  of  sin,  or  into  the  stream  of  worldly 
enjoyment,  determined  to  lead  a  life  of  pleasure,  let  the 
consequences  be  what  they  may.  As  to  religion,  it  is 
nothing  to  them,  except  a  subject  of  ridicule  on  the 
part  of  those  who  affect  it.     Morality — well,  if  it  fall 


l6o  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL. 

within  the  fashion  of  the  world,  it  must  be  respected 
otherwise  let  it  go  to  the  winds.  God,  heaven,  hell, — 
they  are  mere  bugbears  to  frighten  the  timid  and 
superstitious.  Not  only  is  Gcd  rejected,  but  He  is 
defied.  Not  only  are  His  blessing.  His  protection,  His 
gracious  guidance  scorned,  but  the  devil,  or  the  world, 
or  the  flesh  is  openly  elevated  to  His  throne.  Yet  men 
and  women  too  can  go  on  through  years  of  life  utterly 
unconcerned  at  the  slight  they  offer  to  God,  and 
unmoved  by  any  warning  that  may  come  to  them 
'*  Who  is  the  Almighty  that  we  should  serve  Him  ? 
And  what  profit  shall  w^e  have  if  we  bow  down  before 
Him  ? "  Their  attitude  reminds  us  of  the  answer 
of  the  persecutor,  when  the  widow  of  his  murdered 
victim  protested  that  he  would  have  to  answer  both  to 
man  and  to  God  for  the  deed  of  that  day.  "  To  man," 
he  said,  "  I  can  easily  answer ;  and  as  for  God,  I  will 
take  Him  in  my  own  hands." 

But  there  is  still  another  class  against  whom  the 
charge  of  rejecting  God  may  be  made.  Not,  indeed,  in 
the  same  sense  or  to  the  same  degree,  but  with  one 
element  of  guilt  which  does  not  attach  to  the  others, 
inasmuch  as  they  have  known  what  it  is  to  have  God 
for  their  King.  I  advert  to  certain  Christian  men  and 
women  who  in  their  early  days  were  marked  by  much 
earnestness  of  spirit,  but  having  risen  in  the  world, 
have  fallen  back  from  their  first  attainments,  and 
have  more  or  less  accepted  the  world's  law.  Perhaps 
it  was  of  their  poorer  days  that  God  had  cause  to 
remember  ^*  the  kindness  of  their  youth  and  the  love 
of  their  espousals."  Then  they  were  earnest  in  their 
devotions,  full  of  interest  in  Christian  work,  eager  to 
grow  in  grace  and  in  all  the  qualities  of  a  Christlike 
character.     But  as  they  grew  in  wealth,  and  rose  in 


17-27.]  SAUL   CHOSEN  KING.  i6l 


the  world,  a  change  came  o'er  the  spirit  of  their  dream. 
They  must  have  fine  houses  and  equipages,  and  give 
grand  entertainments,  and  cultivate  the  acquaintance 
of  this  great  family  and  that,  and  get  a  recognized 
position  among  their  fellows.  Gradually  their  life 
comes  to  be  swayed  by  considerations  they  never 
would  have  thought  of  in  early  days.  Gradually  the 
strict  rules  by  which  they  used  to  live  are  relaxed,  and 
an  easier  and  more  accommodating  sttitude  towards  the 
world  is  taken  up.  And  as  surely  the  glow  of  their 
spiritual  feelings  cools  down ;  the  charm  of  their 
spiritual  enjoyments  goes  off;  the  blessed  hope,  even 
the  glorious  appearing  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  fades 
away ;  and  one  scheme  after  another  of  worldly 
advancement  and  enjoyment  occupies  their  minds. 
What  glamour  has  passed  over  their  souls  to  obliterate 
the  surpassing  glory  of  Jesus  Christ,  the  image  of  the 
invisible  God  ?  What  evil  spell  has  robbed  the  Cross 
of  its  holy  influence,  and  made  them  so  indifferent  to 
the  Son  of  God,  who  loved  them  and  gave  Himself  for 
them  ?  Is  the  gate  of  heaven  changed,  that  they  no 
V)nger  care  to  linger  at  it,  as  in  better  times  they  used 
\o  fondly  to  do  ?  No.  But  they  have  left  their  first 
lOve;  they  have  gone  away  after  idols ;  they  have  been 
caught  in  the  snares  of  the  god  of  this  world.  In  so 
far,  they  have  rejected  their  God  that  saved  them  out 
of  all  their  adversities  and  tribulations  ;  and  if  they  go 
oji  to  do  so  after  solemn  warning,  their  guilt  will  be 
like  the  guilt  of  Israel,  and  the  day  must  come  when 
"  their  own  wickedness  shall  correct  them,  and  their 
backsHdings  shall  reprove  them." 

But  let  U3  come  back  to  the  election.  The  first  lot 
was  cast  between  the  twelve  tribes,  and  it  fell  on 
Benjamin.     The  next  lot  w^s  cast  between  the  families 

VOL.  I. 


102  THE   FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL, 

of  Benjamin,  and  it  fell  on  the  family  of  Matri ;  and 
when  they  came  to  closer  quarters,  as  it  v/ere,  the  lot 
fell  on  Saul,  the  son  of  Kish.  Again  we  see  how  the 
most  casual  events  are  all  under  government,  and 
conspire  to  accomplish  the  purpose  of  Him  who 
worketh  all  things  after  the  counsel  of  His  own  will. 
"The  lot  is  cast  into  the  lap;  but  the  whole  disposing 
thereof  is  of  the  Lord." 

No  doubt  Saul  had  anticipated  this  consummation. 
He  had  had  too  many  supernatural  evidences  to  the 
same  effect  to  have  any  lingering  doubt  what  would  be 
the  result  of  the  lot.  But  it  was  too  much  for  him.  He 
hid  himself,  and  could  not  be  found.  And  we  do  not 
think  the  worse  of  him  for  this,  but  rather  the  better. 
It  is  one  of  the  many  favourable  traits  that  we  find  at 
the  outset  of  his  kingly  career.  However  pleasant  it 
might  be  to  ruminate  on  the  privileges  and  honours  of 
royalty,  it  was  a  serious  thing  to  undertake  the  leader- 
ship of  a  great  nation.  In  this  respect,  Saul  shared 
the  feeling  that  constrained  Moses  to  shrink  back  when 
he  was  appointed  to  deliver  Israel  from  Egypt,  and 
that  constrained  Jeremiah  to  remonstrate  when  he  was 
appointed  a  prophet  unto  the  nations.  Many  of  the 
best  ministers  of  Christ  have  had  this  feeling  when 
they  Vv^ere  called  to  the  Christian  ministry.  Gregory 
Nazianzen  actually  fled  to  the  wilderness  after  his 
ordination,  and  Ambrose,  Bishop  of  Milan,  in  the 
civil  office  which  he  held,  tried  to  turn  the  people 
from  their  choice  even  by  acts  of  cruelty  and  severity, 
after  they  had  called  on  him  to  become  their  bishop. 

But,  besides  the  natural  shrinking  of  Saul  from  so 
respons'ble  an  office,  we  may  believe  that  he  was  not 
unmoved  by  the  solemn  representation  of  Samuel  that 
in  their  determination  to  have  a  human  king  the  people 


X.  17-27.]  SAUL    CHOSEN  KING  163 

had  been  guilty  of  rejecting  God.  This  may  have  been 
the  first  time  that  that  view  of  the  matter  seriously 
impressed  itself  on  his  mind.  Even  though  it  was 
accompanied  by  the  qualification  that  God  in  a  sense 
sanctioned  the  new  arrangement,  and  though  the  use  of 
the  lot  would  indicate  God's  choice,  Saul  might  well 
have  been  staggered  by  the  thought  that  in  electing  a 
king  the  people  had  rejected  God.  Even  though  his 
mind  was  not  a  spiritual  mind,  there  was  something 
frightful  in  the  very  idea  of  a  man  stepping,  so  to  speak, 
into  God's  place.  No  wonder  then  though  he  hid 
himself!  Perhaps  he  thought  that  when  he  could  not 
be  found  the  choice  would  fall  on  some  one  else.  But 
no.  An  appeal  was  again  made  to  God,  and  God 
directly  indicated  Saul,  and  indicated  his  place  of  con- 
cealment. The  stuff  or  baggage  among  which  Saul 
was  hid  was  the  collection  of  packages  which  the 
people  would  naturally  bring  with  them,  and  w^hich  it 
was  the  custom  to  pile  up,  often  as  a  rampart  or  defence, 
while  the  assembly  lasted.  We  can  fancy  the  scene 
when,  the  pile  of  bsggage  being  indicated  as  the  hiding- 
place,  the  people  rushed  to  search  among  it,  knocking 
the  contents  asunder  very  unceremoniously,  until  Saul 
was  at  length  discovered.  From  his  inglorious  place  of 
retreat  the  king  was  now  brought  out,  looking  no  doubt 
awkward  and  foolish,  yet  with  that  commanding  figure 
which  seemed  so  suitable  for  his  new  dignity.  And  his 
first  encouragement  was  the  shout  of  the  people — '^  God 
save  the  king  !  "  How  strange  and  quick  the  transition  1 
A  minute  ago  he  was  safe  in  his  hiding-place,  wonder- 
ng  whether  some  one  else  might  not  get  the  office. 
Now  the  shouts  of  the  people  indicate  that  all  is  settled. 
King  of  Israel  he  is  henceforward  to  be. 

Three  incidents  are  recorded  towards  the  end  of  the 


l64  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL. 

chapter  as  throwing  light  on  the  great  event  of  the  day. 
In  the  first  place,  "Samuel  told  the  people  the  manner 
of  the  kingdom,  and  wrote  it  in  a  book,  and  laid  it  up 
before  the  Lord."  This  was  another  means  taken  by 
the  faithful  prophet  to  secure  that  this  new  step  should 
if  possible  be  for  good,  and  not  for  evil.  It  was  a  new 
protest  against  assimilating  the  kingdom  of  Israel  to 
the  other  kingdoms  around.  No  !  although  Jehovah 
was  no  longer  King  in  the  sense  in  which  He  had  been, 
His  covenant  and  His  law  were  still  binding,  and  must 
be  observed  in  Israel  to  their  remotest  generation.  No 
change  could  repeal  the  law  of  the  ten  words  given 
amid  the  thunders  of  Sinai.  No  change  could  annul 
the  promise  to  Abraham,  *^  In  thee  and  in  thy  seed 
shall  all  the  nations  of  the  earth  be  blessed."  No 
change  could  reverse  that  mode  of  approach  to  a  holy 
God  which  had  been  ordained  for  the  sinner — through 
the  shedding  of  atoning  blood.  The  destiny  of  Israel 
was  not  changed,  as  the  medium  of  God's  communica- 
tions to  the  world  on  the  most  vital  of  all  subjects  in 
which  sinners  could  be  interested.  And  king  though 
he  was,  Saul  would  find  that  there  was  no  way  of 
^securing  the  true  prosperity  of  his  kingdom  but  by 
ruling  it  in  the  fear  of  God,  and  with  the  highest  regard 
to  His  will  and  pleasure ;  while  nothing  was  so  sure  to 
drive  it  to  ruin,  as  to  depart  from  the  Divine  prescrip- 
tion, and  plunge  into  the  ways  that  were  common 
among  the  heathen. 

The  next  circumstance  mentioned  in  the  history  is, 
that  when  the  people  dispersed,  and  when  Saul  returned 
to  his  home  at  Gibeah,  '^  there  went  with  him  a  band 
of  men,  whose  hearts  God  had  touched."  They  were 
induced  to  form  a  body-guard  for  the  new  king,  and 
they  did  so  under  no  physical  constraint  from  him  or 


X.  17-27.]  SAUL   CHOSEN  KING.  165 

any  one  else,  but  because  they  were  moved  to  do  it  from 
sympathy,  from  the  desire  to  help  him  and  be  of  service 
to  him  in  the  new  position  to  which  he  had  been  raised. 
Here  was  a  remarkable  encouragement.  A  friend  in 
need  is  a  friend  indeed.  Could  there  have  been  any 
time  when  Saul  was  more  in  need  of  friends  ?  How 
happy  a  thing  it  was  that  he  did  not  need  to  go  and 
search  for  them  ;  they  came  to  him  with  their  willing 
service.  And  what  a  happy  start  it  was  for  him  in  his 
new  office  that  these  helpers  were  at  hand  to  serve 
him  !  A  band  of  willing  helpers  around  one  takes  off 
more  than  half  the  difficulty  of  a  difficult  enterprise. 
Men  that  enter  into  one's  plans,  that  sympathize  with 
one's  aims,  that  are  ready  to  share  one's  burdens,  that 
anticipate  one's  wishes,  are  of  priceless  value  in  any 
business.  But  they  are  of  especial  value  in  the  Church 
of  Christ.  One  of  the  first  things  our  Lord  did  after 
entering  on  His  public  ministry  was  to  call  to  Himself 
the  twelve,  who  were  to  be  His  staff*.  His  ready  helpers 
wherever  they  were  able  to  give  help.  Is  it  not  the 
joy  of  the  Christian  minister,  as  he  takes  up  his  charge, 
if  there  go  with  him  a  band  of  men  whose  hearts  God 
has  touched  ?  How  lonely  and  how  hard  is  the  ministry 
if  there  be  no  such  men  to  help  !  How  different  when 
efficient  volunteers  are  there,  in  readiness  for  the  Sunday- 
school,  and  the  Band  of  hope,  and  the  missionary 
society,  and  the  congregational  choir,  and  for  visiting 
the  sick,  and  every  other  service  of  Christian  love  ! 
Congregations  ought  to  feel  that  it  cannot  be  right  to 
leave  all  the  work  to  their  minister.  What  kind  of 
battle  would  it  be  if  all  the  fighting  were  left  to  the 
officer  in  command  ?  Let  the  members  of  congrega- 
tions ever  bear  in  mind  that  it  is  their  duty  and  their 
privilege  to  help  in  the  work.     If  we  wish  to  see  the 


1 66  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL, 

picture  of  a  prosperous  Apostolic  Church,  let  us  study 
the  last  chapter  of  the  Epistle  to  the  Romans.  The 
glory  of  the  primitive  Church  of  Rome  was  that  it 
abounded  in  men  and  women  w^hose  hearts  God  had 
touched,  and  who  *'  laboured  much  in  the  Lord." 

Do  any  of  us  shrink  from  such  work?  Are  any 
willing  to  pray  for  God's  work,  but  unwilling  to  take 
part  in  it  personally?  Such  a  state  of  mind  cannot 
but  suggest  the  question,  Has  the  Lord  touched  your 
hearts  ?  The  expression  is  a  very  significant  one. 
It  implies  that  one  touch  of  God's  hand,  one  breathing 
of  His  Spirit,  can  effect  such  a  change  that  what  was 
formerly  ungenial  becomes  agreeable ;  a  vital  principle 
is  imparted  to  the  heart.  Life  can  come  only  from 
the  fountain  of  life.  Hearts  can  be  quickened  only 
by  the  living  Spirit  of  God.  In  vain  shall  we  try 
to  serve  Him  until  our  hearts  are  touched  by  His 
Spirit.  Would  that  that  Spirit  were  poured  forth  so 
abundantly  that  *'  one  should  say,  I  am  the  Lord's, 
and  another  should  call  himself  by  the  name  of 
Jacob,  and  another  should  subscribe  with  his  hand 
to  the  Lord,  and  surname  himself  with  the  name  of 
Israel " ! 

The  last  thing  to  be  noticed  is  the  difference  of 
feeling  toward  Saul  among  the  people.  While  he  was 
received  cordially  by  most,  there  was  a  section  that 
despised  him,  that  scorned  the  idea  of  his  delivering 
the  nation,  and,  in  token  of  their  contempt,  brought 
him  no  presents.  They  are  called  the  children  of 
Belial.  It  was  not  that  they  regarded  his  election  as 
an  invasion  of  the  ancient  constitution  of  the  country, 
as  an  interference  with  the  sovereign  rights  of  Jehovah, 
but  that,  in  their  pride,  they  refused  to  submit  to  him ; 
they  would  not  have  him  for  their  king.     The  tokens 


X.  I7-27.J  SAUL   CHOSEN  KING.  167 

of  Divine  authority — the  sanction  of  Samuel,  the  use 
of  the  lot,  and  the  other  proofs  that  what  was  done 
at  Mizpeh  had  been  ratified  in  heaven — made  no 
impression  upon  them.  We  are  told  of  Saul  that  he 
held  his  peace  ;  he  would  rather  refute  them  by  deeds 
than  by  words ;  he  would  let  it  be  seen,  when  the 
opportunity  offered,  whether  he  could  render  any 
service  to  the  nation  or  not.  But  does  not  this  ominous 
fact,  recorded  at  the  very  threshold  of  Saul's  reign, 
at  the  very  time  when  it  became  so  apparent  that  he 
was  the  Lord's  anointed,  suggest  to  our  minds  a 
corresponding  fact,  in  reference  to  One  who  is  the 
Lord's  Anointed  in  a  higher  sense?  Is  there  not  in 
many  a  disposition  to  say  even  of  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  "  How  shall  this  man  save  us  "  ?  Do  not  many 
rob  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  of  His  saving  power,  reduc- 
ing Him  to  the  level  of  a  mere  teacher,  denying  that 
He  shed  His  blood  to  take  away  sin  ?  And  are  there 
not  others  who  refuse  their  homage  to  the  Lord  from 
sheer  self-dependence  and  pride  ?  They  have  never 
been  convinced  of  their  sins,  never  shared  the  publican's 
feeling,  but  rather  been  disposed  to  boast,  like  the 
Pharisee,  that  they  were  not  like  other  men.  And 
is  not  Christ  still  to  many  as  a  root  out  of  a  dr^ 
ground,  without  form  or  comeliness  wherefore  they 
should  desire  Him  ?  Oh  for  the  spirit  of  wisdom  and 
illumination  in  the  knowledge  of  Him  !  Oh  that,  the 
eyes  of  our  understandings  being  enlightened,  we 
might  all  see  Jesus  fairer  than  the  children  of  men,  the 
chief  among  ten  thousand,  yea  altogether  lovely ;  and 
that,  instead  of  our  manifesting  any  unwillingness  to 
acknowledge  Him  and  follow  Him,  the  language  of  our 
hearts  might  be,  *'  Whom  have  we  in  heaven  but  Thee  ? 
and  there  is  none  on  the  earth  that  we  desire  besides 


if)8  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL, 

Thee."  "  Entreat  us  not  to  leave  Thee,  nor  to  return 
from  following  after  Thee ;  for  where  Thou  goest  we 
will  go,  and  where  Thou  lodgest  we  will  lodge ;  Thy 
people  shall  be  our  people,"  and  Thou  Thyself  our 
Lord  and  our  God. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

THE    RELIEF    OF  JABESH-GILEAD. 
I  Samuel  xi. 

PRIMITIVE  though  the  state  of  society  was  in 
those  days  in  Israel,  we  are  hardly  prepared  to 
find  Saul  following  the  herd  in  the  field  after  his 
election  as  king  of  Israel.  We  are  compelled  to  con- 
clude that  the  opposition  to  him  was  far  from  contempt- 
ible in  number  and  in  influence,  and  that  he  found  it 
expedient  in  the  meantime  to  make  no  demonstration 
of  royalty,  but  continue  his  old  w^ay  of  life.  If  we  gOi. 
back  to  the  days  of  Abimelech,  the  son  of  Gideon,  we' 
get  a  vivid  view  of  the  awful  crimes  which  even  an 
Israelite  could  commit,  under  the  influence  of  jealousy, 
when  other  persons  stood  in  the  way  of  his  ambitious 
designs.  It  is  quite  conceivable  that  had  Saul  at  once 
assumed  the  style  and  title  of  royalty,  those  children  of 
Belial  who  were  so  contemptuous  at  his  election  would 
have  made  away  with  him.  Human  life  was  of  so  little 
value  in  those  Eastern  countries,  and  the  crime  of 
destroying  it  was  so  little  thought  of,  that  if  Saul  had 
in  any  way  provoked  hostility,  he  would  have  been 
almost  certain  to  fall  by  some  assassin's  hand.  It  was 
therefore  wise  of  him  to  continue  for  a  time  his  old 
way  of  living,  and  wait  for  some  opportunity  which 
should  arise  providentially,  to  vindicate  his  title  to  the 
sceotre  of  Israel. 


[70  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL, 


Apparently  he  had  not  to  wait  long — according  to 
Josephus,  only  a  month.  The  opportunity  arose  in  a 
somewhat  out-of-the-way  part  of  the  country,  where 
disturbance  had  been  brewing  previous  to  his  election 
(comp.  xii.  12).  It  was  not  the  first  time  that  the 
inhabitants  of  Gilead  and  other  dwellers  on  the  east 
side  of  Jordan  came  to  feel  that  in  settling  there  they 
had  to  pay  dear  for  their  well- watered  and  well-sheltered 
pastures.  They  were  exposed  in  an  especial  degree  to 
the  assaults  of  enemies,  and  pre-eminent  among  these 
were  their  cousins,  the  Ammonites.  Very  probably  the 
Ammonites  had  never  forgotten  the  humihation  inflicted 
on  them  by  Jephthah,  when  he  smote  them  *^  from 
Arcer,  even  till  thou  come  to  Minnith,  even  twenty 
cities,  and  till  thou  come  to  the  plain  of  the  vine3'^ards, 
with  a  very  great  slaughter."  Naturally  the  Ammonites 
would  be  desirous  both  to  avenge  these  defeats  and  to 
regain  their  cities,  or  at  least  to  get  other  cities  in  lieu 
of  what  they  had  lost.  We  do  not  know  with  certainty 
the  site  of  Jabesh-Gilead,  or  the  reasons  why  it  was 
the  special  object  of  attack  by  King  Nahash  at  this  time. 
But  so  it  was;  and  as  the  people  of  Jabesh-Gilead  either 
knew  not  or  cared  not  for  their  real  defence,  the  God 
of  Israel,  they  found  themselves  too  hard  bestead  by 
the  Ammonites,  and,  exhausted  probably  by  the  weary 
siege,  proposed  terms  of  capitulation. 

This  is  the  first  scene  in  the  chapter  before  us. 
*'  The  men  of  Jabesh  said  to  Nahash,  king  of  the 
Ammonites,  Make  a  covenant  with  us,  and  we  will 
serve  thee."  The  history  of  the  Israelites  in  time  of 
danger  commonly  presents  one  or  other  of  two 
extremes  :  either  pusillanimous  submission,  or  daring 
defiance  to  the  hostile  power.  In  this  case  it  was 
pusillanimous  submission,  as  indeed  it  commonly  was 


xi.]  THE  RELIEF  OF  JABESH-GILEAD.  171 

when  the   people  followed  the   motions  of  their   own 
hearts,  and  were  not  electrified  into  opposition  by  some 
great  hero,  full  of  faith  in  God.     But  it  was  not  mere 
cowardice    they   displayed    in    offering    to  become  the 
servants  of  the  Ammonites;  there  was  impiety  in  it 
likewise.     For  of  their  relation  to  God  they  made  no 
account   whatever.     By    covenant   with    their   fathers, 
ratified  from  generation  to  generation,  they  were  God's 
servants,  and  they  had  no  right  voluntarily  to  transfer 
to  another  master  the  allegiance  which  was  due  to  God 
alone.     The  proposal  they  made  was  virtually  a  breach 
of  the  first  commandment.     And  it  was  not  a  case  of 
necessity.     Instead  of  humbling  themselves  before  God 
and  confessing  the  sins  that  had   brought  them  into 
trouble,  they    put    God    altogether    aside,    and    basely 
offered    to   become   the   servants    of   the   Ammonites. 
Even    the   remembrance   of  the   glorious   victories   of 
their  own  Jephthah,  when   he  went   to  war  with  the 
Ammonites,  in  dependence  on  the  God  of  Israel,  seems  to 
have  had  no  effect  in  turning  them  from  the  inglorious 
proposal.    We  see  here  the  sad  effect  of  sin  and  careless 
living  in  lowering  men's  spirits,  sapping  courage,  and 
discouraging  noble  effort.     Oh,  it  is  pitiable  to  see  men 
tamely  submitting  to  a  vile  master  !     Yet  how  often  is 
the  sight  repeated  !     How  often  do  men  virtually  say 
to  the  devil,  "Make  a  covenant  with  us,  and  we  will 
serve  thee  "  !     Not  indeed  in  the  open  way  in  which  it 
used  to  be  believed  that  one  of  the  popes,  before  his 
elevation  to  the  papal  chair,  formally  sold  his  soul  to 
the  devil  in  exchange  for  that  dignity.     Yet  how  often 
do  men  virtually  give  themselves  over  to  serve  a  vile 
master,  to  lead  evil  or  at  least  careless  lives,  to  indulge 
in  sinful  habits  which  they  know  they  should  overcome, 
but  which  they  are  too  indolent  and  self-indulged  to 


172  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL, 

resist!    Men  and  women,  with  strong  proclivities  to  sin, 
may  for  a  time  resist,  but  they  get  tired  of  the  battle ; 
they  long  for  an  easier  life,  and  they  say  in  their  hearts, 
"  We   will   resist   no   longer  ;    we    will    become   your 
servants."     They  are  wilUng  to  make  peace  with  the 
Ammonites,    because    they    are    wearied    of    fighting. 
'^  Anj'thing  for  a  quiet  Hfe  1 "     They  surrender  to  the 
enemy,  they   are   willing   to    serve    sin,  because    they 
will  not  surrender  the  ease  and  the  pleasures  of  sin. 
But  sin  is  a  bad  master ;  his  wages  are  terrible  to 
.hink  of.     The  terms  which  Nahash  offered  to  the  men 
of  Jabesh-Gilead  combined  insult  and  injury.  '^  On  this 
condition  will  I  make  a  covenant  with  you  :  that  I  may 
thrust  out  all  your  right  eyes,  and  lay  it  for  a  reproach 
unto  all  Israel."     "The  tender  mercies  of  the  wicked 
are  cruel."     There  is  nothing  in  which  the  pernicious 
influence  of  paganism  was  more  notorious  in  ancient 
times — and  indeed,  we  may  say,  is  more  notorious  in  all 
times — than  in  the  horrible  cruelties    to  which  it  led. 
Barbarity  was  the  very  element  in  which  it  lived.     And 
that  barbarity  was  often  exemplified  in  cruelly  depriving 
enemies   of  those   members   and  organs   of  the   body 
which  are  most  needful  for  the  comfort  of  life.     The 
hands  and  the  eyes  were  especially  the  victims  of  this 
diabolical  feeling.     Just  as  you  may  see   at  this  day 
in  certain  African  villages  miserable  creatures  without 
hands  or  eyes  who  have  fallen  under  the  displeasure  of 
their  chief  and  received  this  revolting  treatment,  so  it 
was  in  those  early  times.       But  Nahash  was  compa- 
ratively merciful.     He  was  willing  to  let  the   men  of 
Jabesh  off"  with  the  loss  of  one  eye  only.     But  as  if  to 
compensate  for   this    forbearance,  he  declared  that  he 
would  regard  the  transaction  as  a  reproach  upon   all 
IsraeL     The  mutilated  condition  of  that  poor  one-eyed 


xi.]  THE   RELIEF  OF  JAHESFr-GILEAD, 


173 


community  would  be  a  ground  for  despising  the  whole 
nation;  it  would    be  a  token    of  the"  humiliation    and 
degradation  of  the  whole   Israelite  community.     These 
were  the  terms  of  Nahash.     His  favour  could  be  pur- 
chased only  by  a  cruel  injury  to  every  man's  body  and 
a  stinging   insult    to    their    wl:ole    nation.     But   these 
terms  were  just  too  humiliating.     Whether  the  men  of 
Jabesh  would  have  been  willing  to  lose  their  eyes  as 
the  price  of  peace  we  do  not  know;  but  the  proposed 
humiliation  of  the  nation  was  something  to  w^hich  they 
were  not  prepared  at  once  to  submit.    The  nation  itself 
should  look  to  that.    The  nation  should  consider  whether 
it  was  prepared  to  be  thus  insulted  by  the  humiliation 
of  one  of  its  cities.     Consequently  they  asked  for  a 
week's    respite,    that    it    might    be    seen    whether    the 
nation  would  not  bestir  itself  to  maintain  its  honour. 
If  we  regard  Nahash  as  a  type   of  another  tyrant, 
as    representing   the    tyranny  of  sin,  we    may    derive 
from  his  conditions  an  illustration  of  the  hard  terms 
which    sin    usually    imposes.       "The    way    of    trans- 
gressors is  hard."     Oh,  what  untold  misery  does  one 
act  of  sin  often  bring!     One  act  of  drunkenness,  in 
which  one  is  led  to  commit  some  crime  of  violence  that 
would  never  have  been  dreamt  of  otherwise  ;  one  act 
of  dishonesty,  followed  up  by  a  course  of  deceit  and 
double-dealing,   that  at  last  culminates  in  disgrace  and 
ruin ;  one  act  of  unchastity,  leading  to  loss  of  character 

and  to  a  downward  career  ending  in  utter  darkness, 

how  frightful  is  the  retribution !  But  happy  is  the 
young  person,  when  under  temptation  to  the  service  of 
sin,  if  there  comes  to  him  at  the  very  threshold  some 
frightful  experience  of  the  hardness  of  the  service, 
if,  like  the  men  of  Jabesh-Gilead,  he  is  made  to  feel  that 
tne  loss  and  humiliation  are  beyond  endurance,  and  to 


174  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL, 

betake  himself  to  the  service  of  another  IMaster,  whose 
yoke  is  easy,  whose  burden  is  light,  and  whose  rewards 
are  more  precious  than  silver  and  geld  ! 

With  the  activity  of  despair,  the  men  of  Jabesh  now 
publish  throughout  all  Israel  the  terms  that  Nahash  has 
offered  them.  At  Gibeah  of  Saul  a  deep  impression  is 
made.  But  it  is  not  the  kind  of  impression  that  gives 
much  hope.  ^'  All  the  people  Hfted  up  their  voices  and 
wept."  It  was  just  the  way  in  which  their  forefathers 
had  acted  at  the  Red  Sea,  when,  shut  in  between  the 
mountains  and  the  sea,  they  saw  the  chariots  of 
Pharaoh  advancing  in  battle  array  against  them ;  and 
again,  it  was  the  way  in  w^iich  the}^  spent  that  night 
in  the  wilderness  after  the  spies  brought  back  their 
report  of  the  land.  It  was  a  sorrowful  sight — a  whole 
m.ass  of  people  crying  like  babies,  panic-stricken,  and 
utterly  helpless.  But,  as  in  the  two  earlier  cases,  there 
was  a  man  of  faith  to  roll  back  the  wave  of  panic. 
As  Moses  at  the  Red  Sea  got  courage  to  go  forward, 
as  Caleb,  the  faithful  spy,  was  able  to  resist  all  the 
clamour  of  his  colleagues  and  the  people,  so  on  this 
occasion  the  spirit  that  rises  above  the  storm,  and 
flings  defiance  even  on  the  strongest  enemies,  came 
mightily  on  one  man — on  Saul.  His  conduct  at  this 
time  is  another  evidence  how  well  he  conducted  himself 
in  the  opening  period  of  his  reign.  "  The  Spirit  of  the 
Lord  came  upon  Saul  when  he  heard  the  tidings,  and 
his  anger  was  kindled  greatly."  The  Spirit  of  the 
Lord  evidently  means  here  that  spirit  of  courage,  of 
noble  energy,  of  dauntless  resolution,  which  was  needed 
to  meet  the  emicrgency  that  had  arisen.  His  first  act 
was  a  symbolical  one,  very  rough  in  its  nature,  but  an 
act  of  the  kind  that  was  best  fitted  to  make  an  impres- 
sion on  an  Eastern  people.     A  yoke  of  oxen  was  hewn 


xi.]  THE  RELIEF  OF  JABESH-GILEAD,  175 

in  pieces,  and  the  bloody  fragments  were  sent  by 
messengers  throughout  all  Israel,  with  a  thundering 
announcement  that  any  one  failing  to  follow  SJaul 
would  have  his  own  oxen  dealt  with  in  a  similar 
fashion  I  It  was  a  bold  proclamation  for  a  man  to  make 
who  himself  had  just  been  following  his  herd  in  the 
field.  But  boldness,  even  audacity,  is  often  the  best 
pohcy.  The  thundering  proclamation  of  Saul  brought 
an  immense  muster  of  people  to  him.  A  sufficient 
portion  of  them  would  set  out  with  the  king,  hasten- 
ing down  the  passes  to  the  Jordan  valley,  and  having 
crossed  the  river,  would  bivouac  for  the  night  in  some 
of  the  ravines  that  led  up  towards  the  city  of  Jabesh- 
Gilead.  Messengers  had  been  previously  pushed 
forward  to  announce  to  the  people  there  the  approach 
of  the  relieving  force.  Long  before  daybreak,  Saul  had 
divided  his  force  into  three,  who  were  to  approach  the 
beleaguered  city  by  different  roads  and  surprise  the 
Ammonites  by  break  of  day.  The  plan  was  success- 
fully carried  out.  The  assault  on  the  Ammonite  army 
was  made  in  the  morning  watch,  and  continued  till 
midday.  It  was  now  the  turn  for  the  Ammonites  to 
fall  under  panic.  Their  assailants  seem  to  have  found 
them  entirely  unprepared.  There  is  nothing  with 
which  the  undisciplined  ranks  of  an  Eastern  horde 
are  less  able  to  cope  than  an  unexpected  attack.  The 
defeat  was  complete,  and  the  slaughter  must  have  been 
terrific  ;  and  "  it  came  to  pass  that  they  which  remained 
of  them  were  scattered,  so  that  two  of  them  were  not 
left  together."  The  men  of  Jabesh-Gilead,  who  had 
expected  to  spend  that  night  in  humiliation  and  anguish, 
would  be  sure  to  spend  it  in  a  very  tumult  of  joy, 
perhaps  rather  in  a  wild  excitement  than  in  the  calm 
but  intensely  relieved  condition  of  men  of  whom  the 


176  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL. 

sorrows  of  death  had  taken  hold,  but  whom  the  Lord 
had  delivered  out  of  all  their  distresses. 

It  is  no  wonder  though  the  people  were  delighted 
with  their  king.  From  first  to  last  he  had  conducted 
himself  admirably.  He  had  not  delayed  an  hour  in 
taking  the  proper  steps.  Though  wearied  probably 
with  his  day's  work  among  the  herd,  he  set  about  the 
necessary  arrangements  with  the  utmost  promptitude. 
It  was  a  serious  undertaking :  first,  to  rouse  to  the 
necessary  pitch  a  people  who  were  more  disposed  to 
weep  and  wring  their  hands,  than  to  keep  their  heads 
and  devise  a  w^ay  of  escape  in  the  hour  of  danger; 
second,  to  gather  a  sufficient  army  to  his  standard ; 
third,  to  march  across  the  Jordan,  attack  the  foe, 
confident  and  well  equipped,  and  deliver  the  beleaguered 
city.  But  dangers  and  difficulties  only  roused  Saul  to 
higher  exertions.  And  now,  when  in  one  short  w^eek  he 
has  completed  an  enterprise  worthy  to  rank  among  the 
highest  in  the  history  of  the  nation,  it  is  no  w^onder  that 
the  satisfaction  of  the  people  reaches  an  enthusiastic 
pitch.  It  would  have  been  unaccountable  had  it 
been  otherwise.  And  it  is  no  wonder  that  their 
thoughts  revert  to  the  men  who  had  stood  in  the  way 
of  his  occupying  the  throne.  Here  is  another  proof 
that  the  opposition  was  more  serious  and  more  deadly 
than  at  first  appears.  These  men  were  far  from  con- 
temptible. Even  now  they  might  be  a  serious  trouble 
to  the  nation.  Would  it  not  be  good  policy  to  get  rid 
of  them  at  once  ?  Did  they  not  deserve  to  die,  and 
ought  they  not  at  once  to  be  put  to  death  ?  It  is  not 
likely  that  if  this  question  had  been  mooted  in  the  like 
circumstances  in  any  of  the  neighbouring  kingdoms, 
there  would  have  been  a  moment's  hesitation  in  answer- 
ing it.     But  Saul  was  full  of  a  magnanimous  spirit — 


xi.]  THE  RELIEF  OF  JABESH-GILEAD.  177 

nay,  it  seemed  at  the  time  a  godly  spirit.  His  mind 
was  impressed  with  the  fact  that  the  deliverance  of 
that  day  had  come  from  God.  And  it  was  impressed 
at  the  same  time  with  the  grandeur  and  sublimity  of 
the  Divine  power  that  had  been  brought  into  operation 
on  behalf  of  Israel.  Saul  perceived  a  tremendous 
reality  in  the  fact  that  *'  the  Lord  was  their  defence ; 
the  Holy  One  of  Israel  was  their  King."  If  Israel  was 
encircled  by  such  a  garrison,  if  Israel's  king  was  under 
such  a  Protector,  what  need  he  fear  from  a  gang  of 
miscreants  like  these  children  of  Belial  ?  Why  dim 
the  glory  of  the  day  by  an  act  of  needless  massacre  ? 
Let  forbearance  to  these  misguided  villains  be  another 
proof  of  the  respect  the  nation  had  to  the  God  of  Jacob, 
as  the  Defender  of  Israel  and  Israel's  King,  and  the  cer- 
tainty of  their  trust  that  He  would  defend  them.  And 
so  "  Saul  said,  There  shall  not  a  man  be  put  to  death, 
this  day ;  for  to-day  the  Lord  hath  wrought  salvation 
in  Israel." 

O  Saul,  Saul,  how  well  for  thee  it  would  have  been 
hadst  thou  maintained  this  spirit !  For  then  God  would 
not  have  had  to  reject  thee  from  being  king,  and  to 
seek  among  the  sheepfolds  of  Bethlehem  a  man  after 
His  own  heart  to  be  the  leader  of  His  people  !  And 
then  thou  wouldest  have  had  no  fear  for  the  security 
of  thy  throne ;  thou  wouldest  not  have  hunted  thy  rival 
like  a  partridge  on  the  mountains;  and  never,  never 
wouldest  thou  have  been  tempted,  in  thy  difficulties,  to 
seek  counsel  from  a  woman  with  a  familiar  spirit,  on 
the  plea  that  God  was  departed  from  thee  ! 

As  we  are  thinking  how  well  Saul  has  acted  on  this 
occasion,  we  perceive  that  an  old  friend  has  come  on 
the  scene  who  helps  us  materially  to  understand  the 
situation.    Yes,  he  is  all  the  better  of  Samuel's  guidance 

VOL.   I.  12 


178  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL. 

and  prayers.  The  good  old  prophet  has  no  jealousy  of 
the  man  who  took  his  place  as  head  of  the  nation.  But 
knowing  well  the  fickleness  of  the  people,  he  is  anxious 
to  turn  the  occasion  to  account  for  confirming  their 
feelings  and  their  aims.  Seeing  how  the  king  has 
acknowledged  God  as  the  Author  of  the  victory,  he 
desires  to  strike  while  the  iron  is  hot.  "Come,"  he 
says,  ''let  us  go  to  Gilgal,  and  renew  the  kingdom 
there."  Gilgal  was  the  first  place  where  the  people 
had  encamped  under  Joshua  on  crossing  the  Jordan. 
It  was  the  place  where  the  twelve  stones  taken  from 
the  empty  bed  of  the  river  had  been  set  up,  as  a 
testimony  to  the  reality  of  the  Divine  presence  in  the 
midst  of  them.  In  some  aspects,  one  might  have 
thought  that  Samuel  would  invite  them  to  Ebenezer, 
where  he  had  set  up  the  stone  of  help,  and  that  he 
would  add  another  testimony  to  the  record  that  hitherto 
the  Lord  had  helped  them.  But  Gilgal  was  nearer  to 
Jabesh-Gilead,  and  it  was  memorable  for  still  higher 
traditions.  To  Gilgal  accordingly  they  went,  to  renew 
the  kingdom.  "And  there  they  made  Saul  king 
before  the  Lord  in  Gilgal,  and  there  they  sacrificed 
sacrifices  of  peace-offerings  before  the  Lord,  and  there 
Saul  and  all  the  men  of  Israel  rejoiced  greatly." 

The  first  election  of  Saul  had  been  effected  without 
any  ceremonial,  as  if  the  people  had  been  somewhat 
afraid  to  have  a  public  coronation  when  it  was  obvious 
they  had  carried  their  point  only  by  Divine  sufferance, 
not  by  Divine  command.  But  now,  unequivocal  testi- 
mony has  been  borne  that,  so  long  as  Saul  pays  be- 
coming regard  to  the  heavenly  King,  the  blessing  and 
countenance  of  the  Almighty  will  be  his.  Let  him  then 
be  set  apart  with  all  due  enthusiasm  for  his  exalted 
office.      Let  his  consecration  take   place  in  the   most 


xi.]  THE   RELIEF  OF  JABESH-GILEAD.  179 

solemn  circumstances — let  it  be  "before  the  Lord  in 
Gilgal ;  "  let  it  be  accompanied  with  those  sacrifices  of 
peace-offerings  which  shall  indicate  respect  for  God's 
appointed  method  of  reconciliation ;  and  let  it  be  con- 
ducted with  such  devout  regard  to  Him  and  to  His  law, 
that  when  it  is  over,  the  Divine  blessing  shall  seem  to 
fall  on  Saul  in  the  old  form  of  benediction,  "  The 
Lord  bless  thee  and  keep  thee ;  the  Lord  make  His 
face  to  shine  on  thee  and  be  gracious  to  thee ;  the 
Lord  lift  up  His  countenance  on  thee  and  give  thee 
peace."  Let  the  impression  be  deepened  that  "  the 
God  of  Israel  is  He  that  giveth  strength  and  power 
unto  His  people."  Saul  himself  will  not  be  the  worse 
for  having  these  feelings  confirmed,  and  it  will  be  of 
the  highest  benefit  to  the  people. 

And  thus,  under  Samuel's  guidance,  the  kingdom 
was  renewed.  Thus  did  both  Saul  and  the  people  give 
unto  the  Lord  the  glory  due  to  His  name.  And  en- 
gaging in  the  ceremonial  as  they  all  did  in  this  spirit, 
*^  both  Saul  and  all  the  men  of  Israel  rejoiced  greatly." 
It  was,  perhaps,  the  happiest  occasion  in  all  the  reign 
of  Saul.  What  contributed  the  chief  element  of  bright- 
ness to  the  occasion  was — the  sunshine  of  Heaven.  God 
was  there,  smiling  on  His  children.  There  were  other 
elements  too.  Samuel  was  there,  happy  that  Saul  had 
conquered,  that  he  had  established  himself  upon  the 
throne,  and,  above  all,  that  he  had,  in  a  right  noble  way, 
acknowledged  God  as  the  Author  of  the  victory  at 
Jabesh-Gilead.  Saul  was  there,  reaping  the  reward 
of  his  humility,  his  forbearance,  his  courage,  and  his 
activity.  The  people  were  there,  proud  of  their  king, 
proud  of  his  magnificent  appearance,  but  prouder  of  the 
super-eminent  qualities  that  had  marked  the  commence- 
ment of  his  reign.     Nor  was  the  pleasure  of  any  one 


i8o  THE  FIRST  BUOK   OF  SAMUEL. 

marred  by  any  ugly  blot  or  unworthy  deed  throwing  a 
gloom  over  the  transaction. 

For  one  moment,  let  us  compare  the  joy  of  this  com- 
pany with  the  feelings  of  men  revelling  in  the  pleasures 
of  sin  and  sensuality,  or  even  of  men  storing  a  pile 
of  gold,  the  result  of  some  successful  venture  or  the 
legacy  of  some  deceased  relative.  How  poor  the 
quality  of  the  one  joy  compared  to  triat  of  the  other ! 
For  what  is  there  outside  themselves  that  can  make 
men  so  happy  as  the  smile  of  God  ?  Or  what  condi- 
tion of  the  soul  can  be  so  full,  so  overflowing  with 
healthy  gladness,  as  when  the  heart  is  ordered  in 
accordance  with  God's  law,  and  men  are  really  disposed 
and  enabled  to  love  the  Lord  their  God  with  all  their 
heart,  and  to  love  their  neighbours  as  themselves  ? 

Is  there  not  something  of  heaven  in  this  joy  ?  Is  it 
not  joy  unspeakable  and  full  of  glory  ? 

One  other  question  :  Is  it  yours  ? 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

SAMUEL'S   VINDICATION  OF  HIMSELF. 
I  Samuel  xii,  i — 5, 

IT  was  a  different  audience  that  Samuel  had  to 
address  at  Gilgai  from  either  that  which  came  to 
him  to  Ram  ah  to  ask  for  a  king,  or  that  which  assembled 
at  Mizpeh  to  elect  one.  To  both  of  these  assemblies 
he  had  solemnly  conveyed  his  warning  against  the  act 
of  distrust  in  God  implied  in  their  wishing  for  a  king  at 
all,  and  against  any  disposition  they  might  feel,  when 
they  got  a  king,  to  pay  less  attention  than  before  to 
God's  will  and  covenant.  The  present  audience  repre- 
sented the  army,  undoubtedly  a  great  multitude,  that 
had  gone  forth  with  Saul  to  relieve  Jabesh-Gilead,  and 
that  now  came  with  Samuel  to  Gilgai  to  renew  the 
kingdom.  As  the  audience  now  seems  to  have  been 
larger,  so  it  very  probably  represented  more  fully  the 
whole  of  the  twelve  tribes  of  Israel.  This  may  explain 
to  us  why  Samuel  not  only  returned  to  the  subject  on 
which  he  had  spoken  so  earnestly  before,  but  enlarged 
on  it  at  greater  length,  and  appealed  with  more  fulness 
to  his  own  past  life  as  giving  weight  to  the  counsels 
which  he  pressed  upon  them.  Besides  this,  the  recog- 
nition of  Saul  as  king  at  Gilgai  was  more  formal,  more 
hearty,  and  more  unanimous  than  at  Mizpeh,  and  the 
institution  of  royalty  wa«-  now  more  an  established  and 


i82  THE  FIRST  BOCK  CF  SAMUEL, 


settled  affair.  No  doubt,  too,  Samuel  felt  that,  after 
the  victory  at  Jabesh-Gilead,  he  had  the  people  in  a  much 
more  impressible  condition  than  they  had  been  in  before  ; 
and  while  their  minds  were  thus  so  open  to  impression, 
it  was  his  duty  to  urge  on  them  to  the  very  uttermost 
the  tru-ths  that  bore  on  their  most  vital  well-being. 

The  address  of  Samuel  on  this  occasion  bore  on 
three  things :  I  his  own  personal  relations  to  them 
in  the  past  (vers.  1-5) ;  2  the  mode  of  God's  dealing 
with  their  fathers,  and  its  bearing  on  the  step  now 
taken  (vers.  6-12);  and  3  the  way  in  which  God's 
judgments  might  be  averted  and  His  favour  and  friend- 
ship secured  to  the  nation  in   all  time   coming  (vers. 

13-25). 

I.  The  reason  why  Samuel  makes  such  explicit  reference 
to  his  past  life  and  such  a  strong  appeal  to  the  people 
as  to  its  blameless  character  is,  that  he  may  establish 
a  powerful  claim  for  the  favourable  consideration  of  the 
advice  which  he  is  about  to  give  them.  The  value  of 
an  advice  no  doubt  depends  simply  on  its  own  intrinsic 
excellence,  but  the  effect  of  an  advice  depends  partly  on 
other  things ;  it  depends,  to  a  great  extent,  on  the 
disposition  of  people  to  think  favourably  of  the  person 
by  whom  the  advice  is  given.  If  you  have  reason  to 
suspect  an  adviser  of  a  selfish  purpose,  if  you  know 
him  to  be  a  man  who  can  plausibly  represent  that  the 
course  which  he  urges  will  be  a  great  benefit  to  you, 
while  in  reality  he  has  no  real  regard  for  any  interest 
but  his  own,  then,  let  him  argue  as  he  pleases,  you 
do  not  allow  yourselves  to  be  moved  by  anything  he 
may  say.  But  if  you  have  good  cause  to  know  that  he 
is  a  disinterested  man,  if  he  has  never  shown  himself 
to  be  selfish,  but  uniformly  devoted  to  the  interests  of 
others,    and    especially   of  yourselves,    you    feel    that 


ui  1-5.]    SAMUEVS   VINDICATION  OF  HIMSELF.  183 

what  such  a  man  urges  comes  home  to  you  with  extra- 
ordinary wei-ht.     Now,  the  great  object  of  Samuel  in 
his  reference  to  his  past  life  was  to  bring  the  weight 
of  this  consideration  to  bear  in  favour  of  the  advice  he 
was   to  give  to   the  people.     For  he  could  appeal   to 
them  with  the  greatest  confidence  as  to  his  absolute 
disinterestedness.     He  could  show  that,  with  ever  so 
many  opportunities  of  acting  a  selfish  part,  no  man 
could  accuse  him  of  having  ever  been  guilty  of  crooked 
conduct  in  all  his  relations   to  the  people.     He  could 
-establish  from  their  own  mouths  the  position  that  he 
was  as  thoroughly  devoted  to  the  interests  of  the  nation 
as  any  man  could  be.    And  therefore  he  called  on  them 
to  give  their  most  favourable  and  their  most  earnest 
attention  to  the  advice  which  he  was  about  to  press 
on  them,  the  more  so   that  he  was  most  profoundly 
convinced  that  the  very  existence  of  the  nation  in  days 
to  come  depended  on  its  being  complied  with. 
^    The   first  consideration  he  urged  was,  that  he  had 
listened  to  their  voice  in  making  them  a  king.     He  had 
not  obstructed  nor  baulked  them  in  their  strong  feeling, 
though  he  might  reasonably  enough  have  done  so.     He 
had  felt  the  proposal  keenly  as  a  reflection  on  himself, 
but  he  had  waived  that  objection  and  gone  on.     He 
had  regarded   it  as  a  slur  on  the  Almighty,  but  the 
Almighty  Himself  had  been  pleased  to  forgive  it,  and 
he  had  transacted  with  Him  on  their  behalf  in  the  same 
way  as   before.      Nothing   that    he    had  done   in  this 
matter  could  have  an  unfriendly  aspect  put  on  it.     He 
had  made  the  best  of  an  objectionable  proposal ;  and 
now    they   had    not   only   got   their   wish,   but    along 
with  it,  objectionable  though  it  was,  a  measure  of  the 
sanction  of  God.     ''  And  now,  behold,  the  king  walketh 
before  you." 


THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL. 


In  the  next  place,  Samuel  adverts  to  his  age.  "  I  am 
old  and  gre3^-headed  ;  and,  behold,  my  sons  are  with 
you,  and  I  have  walked  before  you  from  my  childhood 
unto  this  day."  You  have  had  abundant  opportunities 
to  know  me,  and  my  manner  of  life.  You  know  how 
I  began,  and  you  know  how  I  have  gone  on,  till  now 
the  circle  of  my  years  is  nearly  completed;  a  new 
generation  has  grown  up ;  my  sons  are  your  contem- 
poraries ;  I  am  old  and  grey-headed.  You  know  how^ 
my  childhood  w^as  spent  in  God's  house  in  Shiloh,  how 
God  called  me  to  be  His  prophet,  and  how  I  have  gone 
on  in  that  exalted  office,  trying  ever  to  be  faithful  to 
Him  that  called  me.  What  Samuel  delicately  points 
to  here  is  the  uniformity  of  his  life.  He  had  not  begun 
on  one  line,  then  changed  to  another.  He  had  not  see- 
sawed nor  zigzagged,  one  thing  at  one  time,  another 
at  another;  but  from  infancy  to  grey  hairs  he  had  kept 
steadfastly  to  the  same  course,  he  had  ever  served  the 
same  Master.  Such  steadiness  and  uniformity  through- 
out a  long  life  genders  a  wonderful  weight  of  character. 
The  man  that  has  borne  an  honoured  name  through  all 
the  changes  and  temptations  of  life,  through  youth  and 
middle  age,  and  even  to  hoar  hairs,  that  has  served 
all  that  time  under  the  same  banner  and  never  brought 
discredit  on  it,  has  earned  a  title  to  no  ordinary  esteem. 
It  is  this  that  forms  the  true  glory  of  old  age.  Men 
instinctively  pay  honour  to  the  hoary  head  when  it 
represents  a  career  of  uniform  and  consistent  integrity ; 
and  Christian  men  honour  it  all  the  more  when  it 
represents  a  lifetime  of  Christian  activity  and  self- 
denial.  Examine  the  ground  of  this  reverence,  and  you 
will  find  it  to  be  this  :  such  a  mature  and  consistent 
character  could  never  have  been  attained  but  for  many 
a  struggle,  in  early  life,  of  duty  against  inclination,  and 


xii.  1-5.]    SAMUEVS   VINDICATION  OF  HIMSELF.  185 

many  a  victory  of  the  higher  principle  over  the  lowerj 
till  at  length  the  habit  of  well-doing  was  so  established, 
that  further  struggles  were  hardly  ever  needed.     Men 
think   of  him  as  one   who    has   silently   but    steadily 
yielded  up  the  baser  desires  of  his  nature  all  through 
his  life  to  give  effect   to  the  higher  and   the  nobler. 
They  think  of  him  as  one  who  has  sought  all  through 
life   to    give  that  honour  to  the  will  of  God  in  which 
possibly  they  have  felt  themselves  sadly  deficient,  and 
to  encourage  among  their  fellow-men,    at   much  cost 
of  self-denial,  those  ways  of  life  which  inflict  no  damage 
on  our  nature  and  bring  a  serene  peace  and  satisfac- 
tion.    Of  such  a  mode  of  life,  Samuel  was  an  admirable 
representative.     Men  of  that  stamp  are  the  true  nobles 
of  a  community.     Loyal  to  God  and  faithful  to  man  ; 
denying  themselves  and  labouring  to  diffuse  the  spirit 
of  all   true    happiness    and   prosperity ;    visiting   the 
fatherless  and  the  widows  in  their  affliction,  and  keep- 
ing  themselves   unspotted   by    the  world — happy  the 
community  whose  quiver  is  full  of  them  !     Happy  the 
Church,    happy   the   country,    that   abounds    in    such 
worthies  ! — men,  as  Thomas  Carlyle  said  of  his  peasant 
Christian   father,  of  whom  one  should  be  prouder  in 
one's  pedigree  than  of  dukes  or  kings,  for  what  is  the 
glory  of  mere  rank  or  accidental  station  compared  to 
the  glory  of  Godlike  qualities,  and  of  a  character  which 
reflects  the  image  of  God  Himself? 

The  third  point  to  which  Samuel  adverts  is  his 
freedom  from  all  acts  of  unjust  exaction  or  oppression, 
and  from  all  those  corrupt  practices  in  the  adminis- 
tration of  justice  which  were  so  common  in  Eastern 
countries.  "  Behold;  here  I  am  ;  witness  against  me 
before  the  Lord  and  before  His  anointed ;  whose  ox 
have  I  taken  ?    or  whose  ass  have  I  taken  ?  or  whom 


i86  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL, 


have  I  defrauded  ?  whom  have  I  oppressed  ?  or  of 
v^hose  hand  have  I  received  any  bribe  to  bhnd  mine 
eyes  therewith  ?  and  I  will  restore  it  to  you."  It  was 
no  small  matter  to  be  able  to  make  this  challenge, 
which  is  as  fearless  in  tone  as  it  is  comprehensive  in 
range,  in  the  very  midst  of  such  a  sea  of  corruption  as 
the  neighbouring  kingdoms  of  the  East  presented.  It 
would  seem  as  if,  down  to  this  day,  the  people  in  most 
of  these  despotic  countries  had  never  known  any  other 
regime  but  one  of  unjust  exaction  and  oppression. 
We  have  seen,  in  an  earlier  chapter  of  this  book,  how 
shamefully  the  very  priests  abused  the  privilege  of 
their  sacred  office  to  appropriate  to  themselves  the 
offerings  of  God.  In  the  days  of  our  Lord  and  J  jhn 
the  Baptist,  what  was  it  that  rendered  '^  the  publicans  " 
so  odious  but  that  their  exactions  went  beyond  the 
limits  of  justice  and  decency  alike  ?  Even  to  this  day, 
the  same  system  prevails  as  corrupt  as  ever.  I  have 
heard  from  an  excellent  American  miss'onary  a  tale  of 
a  court  of  justice  that  came  within  his  e  xperiencc,  even 
at  a  conspicuous  place  like  Beirut,  that  snows  that 
without  bribery  it  is  hardly  possible  to  ^et  a  decision 
on  the  proper  side.  A  claim  had  been  m;?de  to  a  piece 
of  land  which  he  had  purchased  for  his  mission,  and 
as  he  refused  to  pay  what  on  the  very  face  of  it  was 
obviously  unjust,  he  was  summoned  before  the  magis- 
trate. The  delays  that  took  place  in  dealing  with  the 
case  were  alike  needless  and  vexatious,  but  the  explana- 
tion came  in  a  message  from  the  authorities,  slily 
conveyed  to  him,  that  the  wheels  of  justice  would  move 
much  faster  if  they  were  duly  oiled  with  a  little 
American  gold.  To  such  a  proposal  he  would  not 
listen  for  a  moment,  and  it  was  only  by  threatening 
an  exposure  before  the  higher  powers  that  the  decision 


xii.  i-sO    SAMUEVS    VINDICATION  OF  HIMSELF,  iSy 

was  at  last  given  where  really  there  was  not  the  shadow 
of  a  claim  against  him.  From  the  same  source  I  got 
an  illustration  of  the  exactions  that  are  made  to  this 
day  in  the  payment  of  taxes.  The  law  provides  that 
of  the  produce  of  the  land  one  tenth  shall  belong  to 
the  Government  for  the  public  service.  There  is  an 
officer  whose  duty  it  is  to  examine  the  produce  of  every 
farm,  and  carry  off  the  share  that  the  Government  are 
entitled  to.  The  farmer  is  not  allowed  to  do  anything 
with  his  produce  till  this  officer  has  obtained  the 
Government  share.  After  harvest  the  farmers  of  a 
district  will  send  word  to  the  officer  that  their  produce 
IS  ready,  and  invite  him  to  come  and  take  his  tenth. 
The  officer  will  return  word  that  he  is  very  busy,  and 
will  not  be  able  to  come  for  a  month.  The  delay  of 
a  month  would  entail  incalculable  loss  and  inconvenience 
on  the  farmers.  They  know  the  situation  well;  and 
they  send  a  deputation  of  their  number  to  say  that  if 
he  will  only  come  at  once,  they  are  willing  to  give  him 
two  tenths  instead  of  one,  the  second  tenth  being  for 
his  own  use.  But  this  too  they  are  assured  that  he 
cannot  do.  And  there  is  nothing  for  them  but  to 
remain  with  him  higgling  and  bargaining,  till  at  last 
perhaps,  in  utter  despair,  they  promise  him  a  proportion 
which  will  leave  no  more  than  the  half  available  for 
themselves. 

And  these  are  not  exceptional  instances — they  are 
the  common  experiences  of  Eastern  countries,  at  least 
in  the  Turkish  empire.  When  such  dishonest  practices 
prevail  on  every  side,  it  often  happens  that  even  good  men 
are  carried  away  with  them,  and  seem  to  imagine  that, 
being  universal,  it  is  necessary  for  them  to  fall  in  with 
them  too.  It  was  a  rare  thing  that  Samuel  was  able 
to  do  to  look  round  on  that  vast  assembly  and  demand 


«88  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL, 

whether  one  act  of  that  kmd  had  ever  been  committed 
by  him,  whether  he  had  ever  deviated  even  an  hair- 
breadth from  the  rule  of  strict  integrity  and  absohate 
honesty  in  all  his  dealings  with  them.  Observe  that 
Samuel  was  not  like  one  of  many,  banded  together  to 
be  true  and  upright,  and  supporting  each  other  by 
mutual  example  and  encouragement  in  that  course. 
As  far  as  appears,  he  was  alone,  Hke  the  seraph  Abdiel, 
'^  faithful  found  among  the  faithless,  faithful  only  he." 
What  a  regard  he  must  have  had  for  the  law  and 
authority  of  God  !  How  rigidly  he  must  have  trained 
himself  in  public  as  in  private  life  to  make  the  will  of 
God  the  one  rule  of  his  actions  !  What  was  it  to  him 
that  slight  peccadilloes  would  be  thought  nothing  of  by 
the  public  ?  What  was  it  to  him  that  men  would  have 
counted  it  only  natural  that  of  the  money  that  passed 
through  his  hands  a  little  should  stick  to  his  fingers, 
provided  he  was  faithful  in  the  main  ?  What  was  it  to 
him  that  this  good  man  and  that  good  man  were  in  the 
way  of  doing  it,  so  that,  after  all,  he  would  be  no  worse 
t:  an  they  ?  All  such  considerations  would  have  been 
absolutely  tossed  aside.  "  Get  thee  behind  me,  Satan," 
would  have  been  his  answer  to  all  such  proposals. 
Unbending  integrity,  absolute  honesty,  unswerving  truth, 
was  his  rule  on  every  occasion.  "  How  can  I  do  this 
wickedness,"  would  have  been  his  question — ''  How  can 
I  do  this  great  wickedness,  and  sin  against  God?^^ 

Is  there  nothing  here  for  us  to  ponder  in  these  days 
of  intense  competition  in  business  and  questionable 
m.ethods  of  securing  gain  ?  Surely  the  rule  of  unbend- 
ing integrity,  absolute  honesty,  and  unswerving  truth 
is  as  binding  on  the  Christian  merchant  as  it  was  on 
the  Hebrew  judge.  Is  the  Christian  merchant  entitled 
to  make  use  of  the  plea  of  general  corruption  around 


xii.  I-SJ    SAMUEVS   VINDICATION  OF  HIMSELF,  189 


him  in  business  any  more  than  Samuel  was  ?     Some 
say,  How  else  are  we  to  make  a  living  ?     We  answer, 
No  man  is  entitled  even  to  make  a  living  on  terms  which 
shjt  him  out  from  using  the  Lord's  Prayer, — from  say- 
ing, "  Give  us  this  day  our  daily  bread."     Who  would 
dare  to  say  that  bread  obtained  by  dishonesty  or  deceit 
is  God-given  bread  ?     Who  could  ask  God  to  bless  any 
enterprise   or    transaction  w^hich    had    not    truth   and 
honesty  for  its  foundation?     Better  let  bread  perish 
than  get  it  by  unlawful  means.     For   "man  doth  not 
live  by  bread  alone,  but  by  every  word  that  proceedeth 
out  of  the  mouth  of  God."     "  The  blessing  of  the  Lord, 
it  maketh    rich,   and   He  addeth    no  sorrow  with    it." 
Instead   of  Christian  men   accepting  the  questionable 
ways  of  the  world  for  pushing  business,  let  them  stand 
out  as  those  who  never  can  demean  themselves  by  any- 
thing so  unprincipled.     No  doubt  Samuel  was  a  poor 
man,  though  he  might  have  been  rich  had  he  followed 
the   example   of  heathen   rulers.     But  who    does   not 
honour  him  in  his  poverty,  with  his  incorruptible  integrity 
and  most  scrupulous  truthfulness,  as  no  man  would  or 
could   have    honoured    him    had    he   accumulated    the 
wealth  of  a  Cardinal  Wolsey  and  lived  in  splendour 
rivalling  royalty  itself?     After  all,  it  is  the  true  rule, 
"Seek  first    the  kingdom  of  God  and  His  righteous- 
ness ;  and  all  these  things  shall  be  added  unto  you." 

But  ere  we  pass  from  the  contemplation  of  Samuel's 
character,  it  is  right  that  we  should  very  specially  take 
note  of  the  root  of  this  remarkable  integrity  and  truth- 
fulness of  his  toward  men.  For  we  live  in  times  when 
it  is  often  alleged  that  religion  and  morality  have  no 
vital  connection  with  each  other,  and  that  there  may 
be  found  an  "  independent  morality  "  altogether  separate 
from  religious  profession.     Let  it  be  granted  that  this 


[Qo  THE   FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL. 


divorce  from  morality  may  be  true  of  religions  of  an 
external  character,  where  Divine  service  is  supposed  to 
consist  of  ritual  observances  and  bodily  attitudes  and 
attendances,  performed  in  strict  accordance  with  a  very 
rigid  rule.  Wherever  such  performances  are  looked  on 
as  the  end  of  religion,  they  may  be  utterly  dissociated 
from  morality,  and  one  may  be,  at  one  and  the  same 
time,  strictly  religious  and  glariiigly  immoral.  Nay, 
further,  where  religion  is  held  to  be  in  the  main  the 
acceptance  of  a  system  of  doctrine,  where  the  reception 
of  the  doctrines  of  grace  is  regarded  as  the  distinguishing 
mark  of  the  Christian,  and  fidelity  to  these  doctrines 
the  most  important  duty  of  discipleship,  you  may  again 
have  a  religion  dissociated  from  moral  life.  You  may 
find  men  who  glory  in  the  doctrine  of  justification  by 
faith  and  look  with  infinite  pity  on  thope  who  are 
vainly  seeking  to  be  accepted  by  their  works,  and  who 
deem  themselves  very  safe  from  punishment  because  of 
the  doctrine  they  hold,  but  who  have  no  right  sense  of 
the  intrinsic  evil  of  sin,  and  who  are  neither  honest,  nor 
truthful,  nor  worthy  of  trust  in  the  common  relations  of 
life.  But  wherever  religion  is  spiritual  and  penetrating, 
wherever  sin  is  seen  in  its  true  character,  wherever 
men  feel  the  curse  and  pollution  of  sin  in  their  hearts 
and  lives,  another  spirit  rules.  The  great  desire  now 
is  to  be  delivered  from  sin,  not  merely  in  its  punish- 
ment, but  in  its  pollution  and  power.  The  end  of 
religion  is  to  establish  a  gracious  relation  through  Jesus 
Christ  between  the  sinner  and  God,  whereby  not  only 
shall  God's  favour  be  restored,  but  the  soul  shall  be 
renewed  after  God's  image,  and  the  rule  of  life  shall  be 
to  do  all  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus.  Now  we  say. 
You  cannot  have  such  a  religion  without  moral  reforma- 
tion.    And,  on    the   other  hand,   you    cannot   rely  on 


Kii.  1-5.]    SAMUEL'S    VINDICATION  OF  HIMSELF, 


[91 


moral  reformation  being  accomplished  without  a  religion 
like  this.  But  alas  !  the  love  of  sinful  things  is  very 
deeply  grained  in  the  fallen  nature  of  man. 

Godlessness  and  selfishness  are  frightfully  powerful 
in  unregenerate  hearts.  The  will  of  God  is  a  terrible 
rule  of  life  to  the  natural  man — a  rule  against  which 
he  rebels  as  unreasonable,  impracticable,  terrible.  How 
then  are  men  brought  to  pay  supreme  and  constant 
regard  to  that  will  ?  How  was  Samuel  brought  to  do 
this,  and  how  are  men  led  to  do  it  now?  In  both 
cases,  it  is  through  the  influence  of  gracious,  Divine 
love.  Samuel  was  a  member  of  a  nation  that  God 
had  chosen  as  His  own,  that  God  had  redeemed 
from  bondage,  that  God  dwelt  among,  protected, 
restored,  guided,  and  blessed  beyond  all  example. 
The  heart  of  Samuel  was  moved  by  God'3  goodness 
to  the  nation.  More  than  that,  Samuel  personally 
had  been  the  object  of  God's  redeeming  love;  and 
though  the  hundred-and-third  Psalm  was  not  yet 
written,  he  could  doubtless  say,  '^  Bless  the  Lord, 
O  my  soul,  and  all  that  is  within  me,  bless  His 
holy  name.  Who  forgiveth  all  thine  iniquities,  who 
healeth  all  thy  diseases,  who  redeemeth  thy  life  from 
destruction,  who  crowneth  thee  with  loving-kindness 
and  tender  mercies,  who  satisfieth  thy  mouth  with  good 
things,  so  that  thy  youth  is  renewed  like  the  eagle's. " 
It  is  the  same  gracious  Divine  action,  the  same 
experience  of  redeeming  grace  and  mercy,  that  under 
the  Christian  dispensation  draws  men's  hearts  to  the 
will  of  God;  only  a  new  light  has  been  thrown  on 
these  Divine  quaHties  by  the  Cross  of  Christ.  The 
forgiving  grace  and  love  cf  God  have  been  placed  in 
a  new  setting,  and  when  it  is  felt  that  God  spared  not 
His  own  Son,  but  delivered  Him  up  for  us  all,  a  new 


192  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL, 

sense  of  His  infinite  kindness  takes  possession  of  the 
souk  Little  truly  does  any  one  know  of  religion,  in 
the  true  sense  of  the  term,  who  has  not  got  this  view 
of  God  in  Christ,  and  has  not  felt  his  obligations  to  the 
Son  of  God,  who  loved  him  and  gave  Himself  for  him. 
And  when  this  experience  comes  to  be  known,  it 
becomes  the  delight  of  the  soul  to  do  the  will  of  God. 
*^  For  the  grace  of  God  that  bringeth  salvation  hath 
appeared  unto  all  men,  teaching  us  that,  denying 
ungodliness  and  worldly  lusts,  we  should  live  soberly, 
righteously,  and  godly  in  this  present  world ;  looking 
for  that  blessed  hope  and  the  glorious  appearing  of 
the  great  God  and  our  Saviour  Jesus  Christ,  who  gave 
Himself  for  us  that  He  might  redeem  us  from  all 
iaiquity,  and  purify  to  Himself  a  peculiar  people, 
zealous  of  good  works." 


CHAPTER   XVII. 

SAMUELS   DEALINGS    WITH    THE    PEOPLE, 
I  Samuel  xii.  6 — 25. 

2.  T  T  AVING  vindicated  himself  (in  the  first  five 
1  X  verses  of  this  chapter),  Samuel  now  proceeds 
to  his  second  point,  and  takes  the  people  in  hand.  But 
before  proceeding  to  close  quarters  with  them,  he  gives 
a  brief  review  of  the  history  of  the  nation,  in  order  to 
bring  out  the  precise  relation  in  which  they  stood  to  God, 
and  the  duty  resulting  from  that  relation  (vers.  6-12). 

First,  he  brings  out  the  fundamental  fact  of  their 
history.  Its  grand  feature  was  this  :  "  It  is  the  Lord 
who  advanced  Moses  and  Aaron,  and  brought  your 
fathers  up  out  of  the  land  of  Egypt.'*  The  fact  was 
as  indisputable  as  it  was  glorious.  How  would  Moses 
ever  have  been  induced  to  undertake  the  task  of  deliver- 
ance from  Egypt  if  the  Lord  had  not  sent  him  ?  Was 
he  not  most  unwilling  to  leave  the  wilderness  and 
return  to  Eg3^pt  ?  What  could  Aaron  have  done  for 
them  if  the  Lord  had  not  guided  and  anointed  him  ? 
How  could  the  people  have  found  an  excuse  for  leaving 
Egypt  even  for  a  day  if  God  had  not  required  them  ? 
How  could  Pharaoh  have  been  induced  to  let  them  go, 
when  even  the  first  nine  plagues  only  hardened  his 
heart,  or  how  could  they  have  escaped  from  him  and 
his  army,  had  the  Lord  not  divided  ihe  sea  that  His 
ransomed  might   pass  over  ?     The  fact  could  not  be 

VOL.  I.  13 


194  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL, 


disputed — their  existence  as  a  people  and  tlieir  settle- 
ment in  Canaan  Vv^ere  due  to  the  special  mcx^cy  of  the 
Lord.  If  ever  a  nation  owed  everything  to  the  power 
above,  Israel  owed  everything  to  Jehovah.  No  distinc- 
tion could  even  approach  this  in  its  singular  glory. 

And  yet  there  was  a  w^ant  of  cordiality  on  the  part  of 
the  people  in  acknowledging  it.  They  were  partly  at 
least  blind  to  its  surpassing  lustre.  The  truth  is,  they 
did  not  like  all  the  duties  and  responsibility  which  it 
involved.  It  is  the  highest  honour  of  a  son  to  have 
a  godly  father,  upright,  earnest,  consistent  in  serving 
God.  Yet  many  a  son  does  not  realise  this,  and  some- 
times in  his  secret  heart  he  wdshes  that  his  father  were 
just  a  Httle  more  like  the  men  of  the  w^orld.  It  is  the 
brightest  chapter  in  the  history  of  a  nation  that  records 
its  struggles  for  God's  honour  and  man's  liberty ;  yet 
there  are  many  who  have  no  regard  for  these  struggles, 
but  denounce  their  champions  as  ruffians  and  fanatics. 
Close  connection  with  God  is  not,  in  the  eyes  of  the 
world,  the  glorious  thing  that  it  is  in  reality.  Hovi' 
strange  that  this  should  be  so  !  '^  O  righteous  Father,'* 
exclaimed  Christ  in  His  intercessory  prayer,  ^'  tht. 
world  hath  not  known  Thee."  He  was  distressed  a\ 
the  world's  blindness  to  the  excellence  of  God.  ^^  Ho\s 
strange  it  is,"  Richard  Baxter  says  in  substance  some- 
where, "that  men  can  see  beauty  in  so  many  things — 
in  the  flowers,  in  the  sky,  in  the  sun — and  yet  be  blind 
to  the  highest  beauty  of  all,  the  fountain  and  essence 
of  all  beauty,  the  beauty  of  the  Lord  I "  Never  rest, 
my  friends,  so  long  as  this  is  true  of  you.  Is  not  the 
very  fact  that  to  you  God,  even  when  revealed  in  Jesus 
Christ,  may  be  like  a  root  out  of  a  dry  ground,  having  no 
form  or  comeliness  or  any  beauty  wherefore  you  should 
desire  Him— is  not  that,  if  it  be  a  fact,  alike  ala  rming 


xii.6-25.]  SAMUELS  DEALINGS  WITH  THE  PEOPLE.    195 

and  appalling  ?  Make  it  your  prayer  that  He  who 
commanded  the  light  to  shine  out  of  darkness  would 
shine  in  your  heart,  to  give  the  light  of  the  knowledge 
of  the  glory  of  God  in  the  face  of  Jesus  Christ. 

Having  emphatically  laid  down  t'  e  fundamental  fact 
in  the  history  of  Israel,  Samuel  next  proceeds  to  reason 
upon  it.  The  reasoning  rests  on  two  classes  of  facts  : 
the  first,  that  whenever  the  people  forsook  God  they 
had  been  brought  into  trouble ;  the  second,  that  when- 
ever thry  repented  and  cried  to  God  He  delivered  them 
out  of  their  trouble.  The  prophet  refers  to  several 
instances  of  both,  but  not  exhaustively,  not  so  as  to 
embrace  every  instance.  Among  those  into  whose 
hand  God  gave  them  were  Sisera,  the  Philistines,  and 
the  Moabites ;  among  those  raised  up  to  deliver  them 
when  they  cried  to  the  Lord  were  Jerubbaal,  and  Bedan, 
and  Jephthah,  and  Samuel,  The  name  Bedan  does  not 
occur  in  the  history,  and  as  the  Hebrew  letters  that 
form  the  word  are  very  similar  to  those  which  form 
Barak,  it  has  been  supposed,  and  I  think  with  reason, 
that  the  word  Bedan  is  just  a  clerical  mistake  for  Barak. 
The  use  the  prophet  makes  of  both  classes  of  facts  is 
to  show  how  directly  God  was  concerned  in  what  befell 
the  nation.  The  whole  course  of  their  history  under 
the  judges  had  shown  that  to  forsake  God  and  worship 
idols  was  to  bring  on  the  nation  disaster  and  misery ; 
to  return  to  God  and  restore  His  worship  was  to  secure 
abundant  prosperity  and  blessing.  This  had  been 
made  as  certain  by  past  events  as  it  was  certain  that  to 
close  the  shutters  in  an  apartment  was  to  plunge  it  into 
darkness,  and  that  to  open  them  was  to  restore  light. 
Cause  and  effect  had  been  made  so  very  plain  that  any 
child  might  see  how  the  matter  stood. 

Now,    what    was  it  that    had  recently  occurred? 


196  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL. 

They  had  had  trouble  from  the  Ammonites.  At  ver.  II 
the  prophet  indicates — what  is  not  stated  before — that 
this  trouble  with  the  Ammonites  had  been  connected 
with  their  coming  to  him  to  ask  a  king.  Evidently, 
the  siege  of  Jabesh-Gilead  w^as  not  the  first  offensive 
act  the  Ammonites  had  committed.  They  had  no  doubt 
been  irritating  the  tribes  on  the  other  side  of  Jordan 
in  many  ways  before  they  proceeded  to  attack  that 
city.  And  if  their  attack  was  at  all  like  that  which  took 
place  in  the  days  of  Jephthah/  it  must  have  been  very 
serious  and  highly  threatening.  (See  Judges  x.  8,  9.) 
Now,  from  what  Samuel  says  here,  it  would  appear 
that  this  annoyance  from  the  Ammonites  was  the 
immediate  occasion  of  the  people  wishing  to  have  a 
king.  Here  let  us  observe  what  their  natural  course 
would  have  been,  in  accordance  with  former  precedent. 
It  would  have  been  to  cry  to  the  Lord  to  deliver  them 
from  the  Ammonites.  As  they  had  cried  for  deliver- 
ance when  the  Ammonites  for  eighteen  years  vexed 
and  oppressed  all  the  tribes  settled  on  the  east  side 
of  Jordan,  and  when  they  even  passed  over  Jordan  to 
fight  against  Judah  and  Benjamin  and  Ephraim,  and 
the  Lord  raised  up  Jephthah,  so  ought  they  to  have 
cried  to  the  Lord  at  this  time,  and  He  would  have  given 
them  a  deliverer.  But  instead  of  that  they  asked 
Samuel  to  give  them  a  king,  that  he  might  deliver 
them.  You  see  from  this  what  cause  Samuel  had  to 
charge  them  with  rejecting  God  for  their  King.  You 
see  at  the  same  time  how  much  forbearance  God  exer- 
cised in  allowing  Samuel  to  grant  their  request.  God 
virtually  said,  '*  I  will  graciously  give  up  My  plan  and 
accommodate  myself  to  theirs.  I  will  give  up  the  plan 
of  raising  up  a  special  deliverer  in  special  danger,  and 
will  let  their  king  be  their  deliverer.     If  they  and  their 


xii.6-25.]   SAMUEL'S  DEALINGS  WITH  THE  PEOPLE. 


'97 


king  a.e  faithful  to  My  covenant,  I  will  give  the  same 
mercies  to  them  as  they  would  have  received  had  things 
remained  as  they  were.  It  will  still  be  true,  as  I 
promised  to  Abraham,  that  I  will  be  their  God  and 
they  shall  be  My  people." 

3.  This  is  the  third  thing  that  Samuel  is  specially  con- 
cerned to  press  on  the  people  ;  and  this  he  does  in  the 
remaining  verses  (vers.  13-25).    They  were  to  remember 
that  their  having  a  king  in  no  sense  and  in  no  degree 
exempted  them  from  their  moral  and  spiritual  obligations 
to  God.      It  did  not  give  them  one  atom  more  liberty 
either  in  the  matter  of  worship,  or  in  those  weightier 
matters  of  the  law— justice,  mercy,  and  truth.     It  did 
not  make  it  one  iota  less  sinful  to  erect  altars  to  Baal 
and  Ashtaroth,  or  to  join  with  any  of  their  neighbours 
in   religious  festivities  in  honour  of  these  gods.     "  If 
ye  will  fear  the  Lord,  and  serve  Him,  and  obey  His 
voice,  and  not  rebel  against  the  commandment  of  the 
Lord,    then    shall    both    ye    and    also    the   king    that 
reigneth  over  you  continue    following  the   Lord   your 
God ;  but   if  ye  w^ill   not  obey  the  voice  of  the  Lord, 
but  rebel  against  the  commandment  of  the  Lord,  then 
shall  the  hand  of  the  Lord  be  against  you,  as  it  was 
against  your  fathers." 

There  is  nothing  very  similar  to  this  in  the  circum- 
stances in  which  we  are  placed.  And  yet  it  is  often 
needful  to  remind  even  Christian  people  of  this  great 
truth  :  that  no  change  of  outward  circumstances  car 
ever  bring  with  it  a  relaxation  of  moral  duty,  or  make 
that  lawful  for  us  which  in  its  own  nature  is  wrong. 
Nothing  of  moral  quality  can  be  right  for  us  on  ship- 
board which  is  wrong  for  us  on  dry  land.  Nothing  can 
be  allowable  in  India  which  could  not  be  thought  of  in 
England  or  Scotland.     The  law  of  the  Sabbath  is  not 


198  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL. 

more  elastic  on  the  continent  of  Europe  than  it  is  at  home. 
There  is  no  such  thing  as  a  geographical  religion  or  a 
geographical  Christianity.  Burke  used  to  say,  looking 
Co  the  humane  spirit  that  Englishmen  showed  at  home 
and  the  oppressive  treatment  they  were  often  guilty  of 
to  the  natives  of  other  countries,  that  the  humanity  of 
England  was  a  thing  of  points  and  parallels.  But  a 
'ocal  humanity  is  no  humanity.  Those  who  act  as  if 
t  were,  make  public  opinion  their  god,  instead  of  the 
eternal  Jehovah.  They  virtually  say  that  what  public 
opinion  does  not  allow  in  England  is  wrong  in  England, 
md  must  be  avoided.  If  public  opinion  allows  it  on  the 
:ontinent  of  Europe,  or  in  India,  or  in  Africa,  it  may  be 
done.  Is  this  not  dethroning  God,  and  abrogating  His 
immutable  law  ?  If  God  be  our  King,  His  will  must  be 
our  one  unfailing  rule  of  life  and  duty  wherever  we  are. 
Truly,  there  is  little  recognition  of  a  mutable  public 
opinion  affecting  the  quality  of  our  actions,  in  that 
sublime  psalm  that  brings  out  so  powerfully  the  omni- 
science of  God, — the  hundred  and  thirty-ninth,  "Whither 
shall  I  go  from  Thy  Spirit,  and  whither  shall  I  flee  from 
Thy  presence  ?  If  I  ascend  up  into  heaven.  Thou  art 
there ;  if  I  make  my  bed  in  hell,  behold  Thou  art  there. 
If  I  take  the  wings  of  the  morning  and  dwell  in  the 
uttermost  parts  of  the  sea,  even  there  shall  Thy  hand 
lead  me  and  Thy  right  hand  shall  hold  me.  If  I  say, 
Surely  the  darkness  shall  cover  me,  even  the  night  shall 
be  light  about  me.  Yea,  the  darkness  hideth  not  from 
Thee,  but  the  night  shineth  as  the  day ;  the  darkness 
and  the  light  are  both  alike  to  Thee." 

It  was  Samuel's  purpose,  then,  to  press  on  the 
people  that  the  change  involved  in  having  a  king 
brought  no  change  as  to  their  duty  of  invariable 
allegiance  to  God.    The  lessons  of  history  had  been 


xii.6-25.]   SAMUELS  DEALINGS  WITH  THE  PEOPLE.    199 

clear  enough ;  but  they  were  always  a  dull-sighted 
people,  and  not  easily  impressed  except  by  what  was 
palpable  and  even  sensational.  For  this  reason  Samuel 
determined  to  impress  the  lesson  on  them  in  another 
way.  He  would  show  them  there  and  then,  under 
their  very  eyes,  what  agencies  of  destruction  God  held 
in  His  hand,  and  how  easily  He  could  bring  these  to 
bear  on  them  and  on  their  property.  "  Is  it  not  wheat 
harvest  to-day  ?  "  You  are  gathering  or  about  to  gather 
that  important  crop,  and  it  is  of  vital  importance  that 
the  weather  be  still  and  calm.  But  I  will  pray  the 
Lord,  and  He  shall  send  thunder  and  rain,  and  you  will 
see  how  easy  it  is  for  Him  in  one  hour  to  ruin  the  crop 
which  you  have  been  nursing  so  carefully  for  months 
back.  ^'  So  Samuel  called  unto  the  Lord  ;  and  the  Lord 
sent  thunder  and  rain  that  day  :  and  all  the  people 
greatly  feared  the  Lord  and  Samuel.  And  all  the 
people  said  unto  Samuel,  Pray  for  thy  servants  unto 
the  Lord  thy  God  that  we  die  not ;  for  we  have  added 
unto  all  our  sins  this  evil :  to  ask  us  a  king."  It  was 
an  impressive  proof  how  completely  they  were  in  God's 
hands.  What  earthly  thing  could  any  of  them  or  all  of 
them  do  to  ward  off  that  agent  of  destruction  from  their 
crops  ?  There  were  they,  a  great  army,  with  sword  and 
spear,  young,  strong,  and  valiant,  yet  they  could  no\ 
arrest  in  its  fall  one  drop  of  rain,  nor  alter  the  course 
of  one  puff  of  wind,  nor  extinguish  the  blaze  of  one 
tongue  of  fire.  Oh,  what  folly  it  was  to  offer  an  affront 
to  the  great  God,  who  had  such  complete  control  over 
"  fire  and  hail,  snow  and  vapours,  stormy  wind  fulfil- 
ling His  word  "  !  What  blindness  to  think  they  could 
in  any  respect  be  better  with  another  king  1 

Thus  it  is  that  in  their  times  of  trial  God's  people  in 
all  ages  have  been  brought  to  feel  their  entire  depend- 


200  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL, 

ence  on  Him.  In  days  of  flovving  prosperity,  we  have 
little  sense  of  that  dependence.  As  the  Psalmist  puts  it  in 
the  thirtieth  Psalm ;  ''  In  my  prosperity  I  said,  I  shall 
never  be  moved."  When  all  goes  well  with  us,  we  ex- 
pect the  same  prosperity  to  continue  ;  it  seems  stereo- 
typed, the  fixed  and  permanent  condition  of  things. 
When  the  days  run  smoothly,  "  involving  happy 
months,  and  these  as  happy  years,"  all  seems  certain  to 
continue.  But  a  change  comes  over  our  life.  Ill-health 
fastens  on  us ;  death  invades  our  circle ;  relatives  bring 
us  into  deep  waters  ;  our  means  of  living  fail ;  we  are 
plunged  into  a  very  wilderness  of  woe.  How  falsely 
we  judged  when  we  thought  that  it  was  by  its  own 
inherent  stability  our  mountain  stood  strong  !  No,  no ; 
it  was  solely  the  result  of  God's  favour,  for  all  our 
springs  are  in  Him ;  the  moment  He  hides  His  face 
we  are  most  grievously  troubled.  Sad  but  salutary 
experience  !  Well  for  you,  my  afQicted  friend,  if  it  burns 
into  your  very  soul  the  conviction  that  every  blessing 
in  life  depends  on  God's  favour,  and  that  to  offend  God 
is  to  ruin  all ! 

But  now,  the  humble  and  contrite  spirit  having  been 
shown  by  the  people,  see  how  Samuel  hastens  to 
comfort  and  reassure  them.  Nov/  that  they  have  begun 
to  fear,  he  can  say  to  them,  "  Fear  not."  Now  that  they 
have  shown  themselves  alive  to  the  evils  of  God's  dis- 
pleasure, they  are  assured  that  there  is  a  clear  way  of 
escape  from  these  evils.  '*  Turn  not  aside  from  follow- 
ing the  Lord,  but  serve  the  Lord  with  all  your  heart." 
If  God  be  terrible  as  an  enemy,  He  is  glorious  as  a 
friend.  No  doubt  you  offered  a  slight  to  Him  when 
you  sought  another  king.  But  it  is  just  a  proof  of  His 
wonderful  goodness  that,  though  you  have  done  this. 
He  does  not  cast  you  off.     He  will  be  as  near  to  you  as 


jii.6-2S.]   SAMUEIJS  DEALINGS  WITH  THE  PEOPLE,    2Ji 

ever  He  was  if  you  are  only  faithful  to  Him.  He  will 
still  deliver  you  from  your  enemies  when  you  call  upon 
Him.  For  His  nam.e  and  His  memorial  are  still  the 
same:  ^'The  Lord,  the  Lord  God,  merciful  and  gra- 
cious, longsuffering,  and  abundant  in  goodness  and 
in  truth,  forgiving  iniquity  and  transgression  and  sin, 
and  that  will  by  no  means  clear  the  guilty." 

Samuel,  moreover,  reminds  them  that  it  was  not 
they  that  had  chosen  God  ;  it  was  God  that  had  chosen 
them.  "  The  Lord  will  not  forsake  His  people,  for 
His  great  name's  sak(?,  because  it  hath  pleased  the 
Lord  to  make  you  His  people."  This  was  a  great 
ground  of  comfort  for  Israel.  The  eternal  God  had 
chosen  them  and  made  them  His  people  for  great 
purposes  of  His  own.  It  was  involved  in  this  very 
choice  and  purpose  of  God  that  He  would  keep  His 
hand  on  them,  and  preserve  them  from  all  such  calami- 
ties as  would  prevent  them  from  fulfilling  His  purpose. 
Fickle  and  changeable,  they  might  easily  be  induced 
to  break  away  from  Him  ;  but,  strong  and  unchangeable, 
He  could  never  be  induced  to  abandon  His  purpose  in 
them.  And  if  this  was  a  comfort  to  Israel  then,  there 
is  a  corresponding  comfort  to  the  spiritual  Israel  now. 
If  my  heart  is  in  any  measure  turned  to  God,  to  value 
His  favour  and  seek  to  do  His  will,  it  is  God  that  has 
effected  the  change.  And  this  shows  that  God  has  a 
purpose  with  me.  Till  that  purpose  is  accomplished. 
He  cannot  leave  me.  He  will  correct  me  when  1  sin. 
He  will  recover  me  when  I  stray.  He  will  heal  me  when 
I  am  sick,  He  will  strengthen  me  when  I  am  weak  ; 
*'  I  am  confident  of  this  very  thing :  that  He  which 
hath  begun  a  good  work  in  me  will  perform  it  unto  the 
day  of  Jesus  Christ." 

Once  more,  in  answer  to  the  people's  request  that  he 


202  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL 

would  intercede  for  them,  Samuel  is  very  earnesi.  "  God 
forbid  that  I  should  sin  against  the  Lord  in  ceasing 
to  pray  for  you."  The  great  emphasis  with  which  he 
says  this  shows  how  much  his  heart  is  in  it.  "  What 
should  I  do,  if  I  had  not  the  privilege  of  intercessory 
prayer  for  you  ?  "  There  is  a  wonderful  revelation  of 
love  to  the  people  here.  They  are  dear  to  him  as  his 
children  are  dear  to  a  Christian  parent,  and  he  feels  for 
them  as  warmly  as  he  feels  for  himself.  There  is  a 
wonderful  deepening  of  interest  and  affection  when 
men's  relation  to  God  is  realized.  The  warmest  heart 
as  yet  unregenerate  cannot  feel  for  others  as  the 
spiritual  heart  must  do  when  it  takes  in  all  the 
possibilities  of  the  spiritual  state — all  that  is  involved 
in  the  favour  or  in  the  wrath  of  the  infinite  God, 
in  the  predominance  of  sin  or  of  grace  in  the  heart, 
and  in  the  prospect  of  an  eternity  of  woe  on  the  one 
hand  or  of  glory,  honour,  and  heavenly  bliss  on  the 
other.  How  is  it  possible  for  one  to  have  all  these 
possibilities  full  in  one's  view  and  not  desire  the 
eternal  welfare  of  loved  ones  with  an  intensity  unknown 
to  others  ?  We  know  from  experience  how  hard  it 
is  to  get  them  to  do  right.  Even  one's  own  children 
seem  sometimes  to  baffle  every  art  and  endeavour  of 
love,  and  go  off,  in  spite  of  everything,  to  the  ways  of 
the  world.  Entreaty  and  remonstrance  are  apparently 
in  vain.  The  more  one  pleads,  the  less  perhaps  are 
one's  pleas  regarded.  One  resource  remains — inter- 
cessory prayer.  It  is  the  only  method  to  which  one 
may  resort  with  full  assurance  of  its  ultimate  efficacy 
for  attaining  the  dearest  object  of  one's  heart.  Does 
the  thought  of  giving  up  intercessory  prayer  come  to 
one  from  any  quarter  }  No  wonder  if  the  insinuation 
is  met  by  a  deep,  earnest  **  God  forbid  "  \ 


Kii.  6-25.]   SAMUEL'S  DEALINGS  WITH  THE  PEOPLE.   203 


'^  I  bless  God/'  said  Mr.  Flavel,  one  of  the  best  and 
sweetest  of  the  old  Puritan  divines,  on  the  death  of  his 
father — "  I  bless  God  for  a  religious  and  tender  father, 
who  often  poured  out  his  soul  to  God  for  me ;  and  this 
stock  of  prayers  I  esteem  the  fairest  inheritance  on 
earth."  How  many  a  man  has  been  deeply  impressed 
even  by  the  very  thought  that  some  one  was  praying 
for  him  !  ^'  Is  it  not  strange/'  he  has  said  to  himself, 
*'  that  he  should  pray  for  me  far  more  than  I  pray  for 
myself  ?  What  can  induce  him  to  take  such  an  interest 
in  me?  "  Every  Christian  ought  to  think  much  of  inter- 
cessory prayer,  and  practise  it  greatly.  It  is  doubly 
blessed  :  blessed  to  him  who  prays  and  blessed  to  those 
for  whom  he  prays.  Nothing  is  better  fitted  to  enlarge 
and  warm  the  heart  than  intercessory  prayer.  To  pre- 
sent to  God  in  succession,  one  after  another,  our  family 
and  our  friends,  remembering  all  their  wants,  sorrows, 
trials,  and  temptations  ;  to  bear  before  Him  the  interests 
of  this  struggling  Church  and  that  in  various  parts  of 
the  world,  this  interesting  mission  and  that  noble  cause ; 
to  make  mention  of  those  who  are  waging  the  battles 
of  temperance,  of  purity,  of  freedom,  of  Christianity 
itself,  in  the  midst  of  difficulty,  obloquy,  and  opposi- 
tion ;  to  gather  together  all  the  sick  and  sorrowing,  all 
the  fatherless  and  widows,  all  the  bereaved  and  dying, 
of  one's  acquaintance,  and  ask  God  to  bless  them  ;  to 
think  of  all  the  children  of  one's  acquaintance  in  the 
bright  springtide  of  life,  of  all  the  young  men  and  young 
women  arrived  or  arriving  at  the  critical  moment  of 
decision  as  to  the  character  of  their  life,  and  implore 
God  to  guide  them — O  brethren,  this  is  good  for  one's 
self;  it  enlarges  one's  own  heart;  it  helps  one's  self  in 
prayer !  And  then  what  a  blessing  it  is  for  those 
prayed  for  I     Who  can  estimate  the  amount  of  spiritual 


204  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL. 


blessing  that  has  been  sent  down  on  this  earth  in 
answer  to  the  fervent  intercessions  of  the  faithful  ? 
Think  how  Moses  interceded  for  the  whole  nation  after 
the  golden  calf,  and  it  was  spared.  Think  how  Daniel 
interceded  for  his  companions  in  Babylon,  and  the 
secret  was  revealed  to  him.  Think  how  Elijah  inter- 
ceded for  the  widow,  and  her  son  was  restored  to  life. 
Think  how  Paul  constantly  interceded  for  all  his 
Churches,  and  how  their  growth  and  spiritual  pros- 
perity evinced  that  his  prayer  was  not  in  vain.  God 
forbid  that  any  Christian  should  sin  against  the  Lord 
in  ceasing  to  pray  for  the  Church  which  He  hath  pur- 
chased with  His  own  blood.  And  while  we  pray  for 
the  Church,  let  us  not  forget  the  world  that  lieth  in 
wickedness.  For  of  all  for  whom  the  desires  of  the 
faithful  should  go  up  to  heaven,  surely  the  most  neces- 
sitous are  those  who  have  as  yet  no  value  for  heavenly 
blessings.  What  duty  can  be  more  binding  on  us  than 
to  "  pray  for  her  that  prays  not  for  herself  "  ? 


CHAPTER  XVIIL 

SAUL  AND  SAMUEL  AT  GILGAU 
I  Samuel  xiii. 

THE  first  thing  that  claims  our  attention  in  connec- 
tion with  this  chapter  is  the  question  of  dates  in- 
volved in  the  first  verse.  In  the  Authorized  Version 
v^re  read,  "Saul  reigned  one  year;  and  when  he  had 
reigned  two  years  over  Israel,  Saul  chose  him  three 
thousand  men."  This  rendering  of  the  original  is  now 
quite  given  up.  The  form  of  expression  is  the  same 
as  that  which  so  often  tells  us  the  age  of  a  king  at 
the  beginning  of  his  reign  and  the  length  of  his 
reign.  The  Revised  Version  is  in  close,  but  not  in 
strict,  accord  with  the  Hebrew.  It  runs,  *'Saul  was 
thirty  years  old  when  he  began  to  reign,  and  he 
reigned  two  years  over  Israel."  A  marginal  note  of  the 
Revised  Version  says,  ''  The  Hebrew  text  has,  '  Saul 
was  a  year  old!  The  whole  verse  is  omitted  in  the 
unrevised  Septuagint,  but  in  a  later  recension  the 
number  thhty  is  inserted."  There  can  be  no  doubt  that 
something  has  been  dropped  out  of  the  Hebrew  text. 
Literally  translated,  it  would  run,  *^  Saul  was  a  year 
old  when  he  began  to  reign,  and  he  reigned  two  years 
over  Israel."  A  figure  seems  to  have  dropped  out  after 
'^  Saul  was  "  and  another  after  "  he  reigned."  A  blot 
of  some  kind   may  have   effaced  these  figures  in  the 


2o6  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL. 

original  manuscript,  and  the  copyist  not  knovving  what 
they  were,  may  have  left  them  blank.  The  Septuagint 
conjecture  of  ^'  thirty"  as  Saul's  age  is  not  very  felici- 
tous, for  at  the  beginning  of  Saul's  reign  his  son 
Jonathan  was  old  enough  to  distinguish  himself  in  the 
war.  Judging  from  probabilities,  we  should  say  that 
the  original  may  have  run  thus  :  "  Saul  was  forty  years 
old  when  he  began  to  reign,  and  he  reigned  thirty  and 
tVv'o  years  over  Israel."  This  would  make  the  length 
of  Saul's  reign  to  correspond  with  the  duration  of  Saul's 
dynasty  as  given  in  Acts  xiii.  21.  There  it  is  said  that 
God  gave  to  the  people  Saul  "by  the  space  of  forty 
years."  If  to  the  thirty-two  years  which  we  suppose 
to  have  been  the  actual  length  of  Saul's  reign  we  add 
seven  and  a  half,  during  which  his  son  Ishbosheth 
reigned,  we  get  in  round  numbers  as  the  duration  of 
his  dynasty  forty  years.  This  would  make  Saul 
about  seventy-two  at  the  time  of  his  death. 

The  narrative  in  this  chapter  appears  to  be  in  imme- 
diate connection  with  that  of  the  last.  The  bulk  of  the 
army  had  gone  from  Jabesh-Gilead  to  Gilgal,  and  there, 
under  Samuel,  they  had  renewed  the  kingdom.  There 
they  had  listened  to  Samuel's  appeal,  and  there  the 
thunderstorm  had  taken  place  that  helped  so  well  to 
rivet  the  prophet's  lessons.  Therefore  the  bulk  of  the 
army  was  disbanded,  but  two  thousand  men  were  kept 
with  Saul  at  Michmash  and  near  Bethel,  and  one 
thousand  with  Jonathan  at  Gibeah.  These  were  neces- 
sary to  be  some  restraint  on  the  Philistines,  who  were 
strong  in  the  neighbourhood  and  eager  to  inflict  every 
possible  annoyance  on  the  Israelites.  Saul,  however, 
does  not  seem  to  have  felt  himself  in  a  position  to  take 
any  active  steps  against  them. 

But  though    Saul    was    inactive,    Jonathan    did   not 


xiii.]  SAUL  AND  SAMUEL  AT  GILGAL.  207 

slumber.  Though  very  young,  probably  under  twenty, 
he  had  already  been  considered  worthy  of  an  important 
command,  and  now,  by  successfully  attacking  a  garrison 
of  the  Philistines  in  Geba,  he  showed  that  he  was 
worthy  of  the  confidence  that  had  been  placed  in  him. 
It  is  interesting  to  mark  in  Jonathan  that  dash  and 
daring  which  was  afterwards  so  conspicuous  in  David, 
and  the  display  of  which  on  the  part  of  David  drew 
Jonathan's  heart  to  him  so  warmly.  The  nev/s  of  the 
exploit  of  Jonathan  soon  circulated  among  the  Philis- 
tines, and  would  naturally  kindle  the  desire  to  retaliate. 
Saul  would  see  at  once  that,  as  the  result  of  this,  the 
Philistines  would  come  upon  them  in  greater  force  than 
ever;  and  it  was  to  meet  this  expected  attack  that  he 
called  for  a  muster  of  his  people.  Gilgal  was  the  place 
of  rendezvous,  deep  down  in  the  Jordan  valley ;  for  the 
higher  part  of  the  country  was  so  dominated  by  the 
enemy  that  no  muster  could  take  place  there. 

So  it  seemed  as  if  the  brilliant  achievement  of 
Jonathan  was  going  to  prove  a  curse  rather  than  a 
blessing.  In  all  kinds  of  warfare,  we  must  be  prepared 
for  such  turns  in  the  order  of  events.  When  one  side 
shows  a  great  increase  of  activity,  the  other  does  the 
same.  When  one  achieves  an  advantage,  the  other 
rouses  itself  to  restore  the  balance.  It  has  often 
happened  in  times  of  religious  darkness  that  the  bold 
attitude  of  some  fearless  reformer  has  roused  the 
enemy  to  activity  and  ferocity,  and  thus  brought  to 
his  brethren  worse  treatment  than  before.  But  such 
reverses  are  only  temporary,  and  the  cause  of  truth 
gains  on  the  whole  by  the  successful  skirmishes  of  its 
pioneers.  Many  persons,  when  they  see  the  activity 
and  boldness  which  the  forces  of  evil  manifest  in 
our  day,  are  led  to  conclude  that  our  times  are  sadly 


2o8  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL. 

degenerate ;  they  forget  that  the  activity  of  evil  is  the 
proof  and  the  result  of  the  vitality  and  activity  of  good. 
No  doubt  there  were  faint-hearted  persons  in  the  host 
of  Israel  who  would  bring  hard  accusations  against 
Jonathan  for  disturbing  the  equilibrium  between  Israel 
and  the  Philistines.  They  would  shake  their  heads  and 
utter  solemn  truisms  on  the  rashness  of  youth,  and 
would  ask  if  it  was  not  a  shame  to  entrust  a  stripling 
wdth  such  powTr  and  responsibihty.  But  Jonathan's 
stroke  was  the  beginning  of  a  movement  which  might 
have  ended  in  the  final  expulsion  of  the  Philistines 
from  the  territories  of  Israel  if  Saul  had  not  acted 
foolishly  at  Gilgal.  In  this  case,  it  was  not  the  young 
man,  but  the  old,  that  was  rash  and  reckless.  Jonathan 
had  acted  withf  courage  and  vigour,  probably  also  with 
faith ;  it  was  Saul  that  brought  disturbance  and  disaster 
to  the  host. 

The  dreaded  invasion  of  the  Philistines  was  not  long 
of  taking  place.  The  force  which  they  brought  together 
is  stated  so  high,  that  in  the  number  of  the  chariots 
some  commentators  have  suspected  an  error  of  the 
copyist,  30,000  for  3,000,  an  error  easily  accounted  for, 
as  the  extra  cipher  would  be  represented  by  a  slight 
mark  over  the  Hebrew  letter.  But,  be  this  as  it  may, 
the  invading  host  w^as  of  prodigiously  large  dimensions. 
It  was  so  large  as  to  spread  a  thorough  panic  through 
the  whole  community  of  Israel,  for  the  people  ^'  hid 
themselves  in  caves,  and  in  thickets,  and  in  rocks,  and 
in  high  places,  and  in  pits."  Not  content  with  such 
protection,  some  of  them,  crossed  the  Jordan,  and  took 
refuge  in  Gilead  and  in  Dan,  not  far  from  Jabesh-Gilead, 
where  another  enemy  had  been  so  signally  defeated. 
Saul  had  remained  in  Gilgal,  where  he  was  followed 
l)y  a  host  of  people,  not  in  any  degree  impressed  by 


xiii.J  SAUL  AND  SAMUEL  AT  GILGAL.  209 

what  God  had  done  for  them  at  Jabesh-Gilead,  not 
trying  to  rall}^  their  courage  by  the  thought  that  God 
was  still  their  King  and  Defender,  but  full  of  that  abject 
fear  which  utterly  unnerves  both  mind  and  body,  and 
prepares  the  way  for  complete  disaster.  How  utterly 
prostrated  and  helpless  the  people  were  is  apparent 
from  that  very  graphic  picture  of  their  condition  which 
we  find  towards  the  end  of  the  chapter  :  "  There  was 
no  smith  found  throughout  all  the  land  of  Israel;  for 
the  Philistines  said,  Lest  the  Hebrews  make  to  them- 
selves svv'ords  or  spears  ;  but  all  the  Israelites  went 
down  to  the  Philistines  to  sharpen  every  man  his  share, 
and  his  coulter,  and  his  axe,  and  his  mattock."  It 
requires  little  effort  of  imagination  to  see  that  the 
condition  of  the  Israelites  was,  humanly  speaking, 
utterly  desperate.  An  enormous  array  of  warriors  like 
the  Philistines,  equipped  with  all  the  weapons  of  war, 
and  confident  in  their  prowess  and  their  power,  pour- 
ing upon  a  land  where  the  defenders  had  not  even 
swords  nor  spears,  but  only  clubs  and  stones  and  such- 
like rude  resources  for  the  purposes  of  conflict,  presented 
a  scene  the  issue  of  which  could  not  have  been  doubtful 
on  all  human  calculations. 

But  surely  the  case  was  not  a  whit  more  desperate 
than  that  of  their  forefathers  had  been,  with  the  sea 
before  them,  the  mountains  on  either  side,  and  the 
Egyptian  army,  in  all  its  completeness  of  equipment, 
hastening  to  fall  upon  their  rear.  Yet  out  of  that 
terrible  situation  their  Divine  King  had  delivered  them, 
and  a  few  hours  after,  they  were  all  jubilant  and  trium- 
phant, singing  to  the  Lord  who  had  triumphed  gloriously, 
and  had  cast  the  horse  and  his  rider  into  the  sea.  And 
no  one  can  fail  to  see  that  the  very  gravity  of  the 
situation  at  the  present  time  ought  to  have  giyen  birth 

VOL.    I,  14 


2IC  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL, 


to  a  repetition  of  that  spirit  of  faith  and  prayer  which 
had  animated  Moses,  as  it  afterwards  animated  Deborah, 
and  Gideon,  and  many  more,  and  through  which  deliver- 
ance had  come.  On  every  ground  the  duty  incumbent 
on  Saul  at  this  time  was  to  show  the  most  complete 
deference  to  the  will  of  God  and  the  most  unreserved 
desire  to  enjoy  His  countenance  and  guidance.  First, 
the  magnitude  of  the  danger,  the  utter  disproportion 
between  the  strength  of  the  defending  people  and  that 
of  the  invading  host,  was  fitted  to  throw  him  on  God. 
Second,  the  fact,  so  solemnly  and  earnestly  urged  by 
Samuel,  that,  notwithstanding  the  sin  committed  by  the 
people  in  demanding  a  king,  God  was  willing  to  defend 
and  rule  His  people  as  of  old,  if  only  they  had  due  regard 
to  Him  and  His  covenant y  should  have  made  Saul  doubly 
careful  to  act  at  this  crisis  in  every  particular  in  the 
most  rigid  compliance  with  God's  will.  Thirdly,  the 
circumstance,  which  he  himself  had  so  well  emphasized, 
that  the  recent  victory  at  Jabesh-Gilead  was  a  victory 
obtained  from  God,  should  have  led  him  direct  to  God, 
to  implore  a  similar  interposition  of  His  power  in  this 
new  and  still  more  overwhelming  danger.  If  only  Saul 
had  been  a  true  man,  a  man  of  faith  and  prayer,  he 
would  have  risen  to  the  height  of  the  occasion  at  this 
terrible  crisis,  and  a  deliverance  as  glorious  as  that 
which  Gideon  obtained  over  the  Midianites  would  have 
signalized  his  efforts.  It  was  a  most  testing  moment  in 
his  history.  The  whole  fortunes  of  his  kingdom  seemed 
to  depend  on  his  choice.  There  was  God,  ready  to 
come  to  his  help  if  His  help  had  been  properly  asked. 
There  were  the  Philistines,  ready  to  swallow  them  up 
if  no  sufficient  force  could  be  mustered  against  them. 
But  weighed  in  the  balances,  Saul  was  found  wanting. 
He  did  not  honour  God;  he  did  not  act  as  knowing  that 


xiii.l  SAUL  AND  SAMUEL  AT  GILGAL.  an 

all  depended  on  Him.  And  this  want  of  his  would 
have  involved  the  terrible  humiliation  and  even  ruin 
of  the  nation  if  Jonathan  had  not  been  of  a  different 
temper  from  his  father,  if  Jonathan  had  not  achieved 
the  deliverance  which  would  not  have  come  by 
Saul. 

Let  us  now  examine  carefully  how  Saul  acted  on  the 
occasion,  all  the  more  carefully  because,  at  first  sight, 
many  have  the  impression  that  he  was  justified  in  what 
he  did,  and  consequently  that  the  punishment  an- 
nounced by  Samuel  was  far  too  severe. 

It  appears  that  Samuel  had  instructed  Saul  to  wait 
^even  days  for  him  at  Gilgal,  in  order  that  steps  might 
be  properly  taken  for  securing  the  guidance  and  help 
of  God.  There  is  some  obscurity  in  the  narrative  here, 
arising  from  the  fact  that  it  was  on  the  first  occasion 
of  their  meeting  that  we  read  how  Samuel  directed  Saul 
to  wait  seven  days  for  him  at  Gilgal,  till  he  should  come 
to  offer  burnt-offerings  and  to  show  him  what  he  was 
to  do  (chap.  X.  8).  We  can  hardly  suppose,  however, 
that  this  first  direction,  given  by  Samuel,  was  not 
implemented  at  an  earlier  time.  It  looks  as  if  Samuel 
had  repeated  the  instruction  to  Saul  with  reference  to 
the  circunstances  of  the  Philistine  invasion.  But,  be 
this  as  it  may,  it  is  perfectly  clear  from  the  narrative 
that  Saul  was  under  instructions  to  wait  seven  days  at 
Gilgal,  at  the  end,  if  not  before  the  end,  of  which  time 
Samuel  promised  to  come  to  him.  This  was  a  distinct 
instruction  from  Samuel,  God's  known  and  recognized 
prophet,  acting  in  God's  name  and  with  a  view  to  the 
obtaining  of  God's  countenance  and  guidance  in  the 
awful  crisis  of  the  nation.  The  seven  days  had  come 
to  an  end,  and  Samuel  had  not  appeared.  Saul  deter- 
mined   that    he   would   wait    no   longer.     "Saul   said, 


2IS  THE  FIRST  BOOK-  OF  SAMUEL, 

Bring  hither  a  burnt-offering  to  me,  and  peace-offerings. 
And  he  offered  the  burnt-offjring." 

Now,  it  has  been  supposed  by  some  that  Saul's 
offence  lay  in  his  taking  on  him  the  functions  of  priest, 
and  doing  that  which  it  was  not  lawful  for  any  but 
priests  to  do.  But  it  does  not  appear  that  this  was 
his  offence.  A  king  is  often  said  to  do  things  which 
in  reality  are  done  by  his  ministers  and  others.  All 
that  is  necessarily  involved  in  the  narrative  is,  that 
the  king  caused  the  priests  to  offer  the  burnt- offering. 
For  even  Samuel  had  no  authority  personally  to  offer 
sacrifices,  and  had  he  been  present,  the  priests  would 
have  officiated  all  the  same. 

The  real  offence  of  Saul  was  that  he  disregarded  the 
absence  of  God's  prophet  and  representative,  of  the 
man  who  had  all  along  been  the  mediator  between  God 
and  the  king  and  between  God  and  the  people.  And 
this  was  no  secondary  matter.  If  Saul  had  had  a  real 
conviction  that  all  depended  at  this  moment  on  his 
getting  God's  help,  he  would  not  have  disregarded  an 
instruction  received  from  God's  servant,  and  he  would 
not  have  acted  as  if  Samuel's  presence  was  of  no 
moment.  The  significant  thing  in  Saul's  state  of 
mind,  as  disclosed  by  his  act,  was  that  he  was  not 
really  bent  on  complying  with  the  will  of  God.  God 
was  not  a  reality  to  Saul.  The  thought  of  God  just 
loomed  vaguely  before  his  mind  as  a  power  to  be  con- 
sidered, but  not  as  the  power  on  whom  everything 
depended.  What  he  thought  about  God  was,  that  a 
burnt-offering  must  be  offered  up  to  propitiate  Him,  to 
prevent  Him  from  obstructing  the  enterprise,  but  he  did 
not  think  of  Him  as  the  Being  who  alone  could  give  it 
success.  It  was  substantially  the  carnal  mind's  view 
of  God.     It  says,  no  doubt  there  is  a  God,  and  He  has 


xiii.]  SAUL  AND  S.lMUEL  AT  GJLGAL. 


213 


an  irxfliience  on  things  here  below ;  and  to  keep  Him 
from  thwarting  us,  we  must  perform  certain  services 
which  seem  to  please  Him.  But  what  a  pitiful  view 
it  is  of  God !  As  if  the  High  and  Lofty  One  that 
inhabiteth  eternity  could  be  induced  to  bestow  or  to 
withhold  His  favour  simply  by  the  slaughter  of  an 
animal,  or  by  some  similar  rite  ! 

But  this  was  Saul's  idea.  "The  sacrifice  must  be 
offered  ;  the  rite  must  be  gone  through.  This  piece  of 
outward  homage  must  be  paid  to  the  power  above,  but 
the  way  of  doing  it  is  of  little  moment.  It  is  a  sacred 
form,  no  more.  I  am  sorry  not  to  have  Samuel  present, 
but  the  fault  is  not  mine.  He  was  to  be  here,  and  he 
has  not  come.  And  now  these  frightened  people  are 
stealing  away  from  me,  and  if  I  wait  longer,  I  may  be 
left  without  followers.  Priests,  bring  the  animal  and 
offer  the  sacrifice,  and  let  us  away  to  the  war  1 " 

How  different  would  have  been  the  acting  of  a  man 
that  honoured  God  and  felt  that  in  His  favour  was  life ! 
How  solemnized  he  would  have  been,  how  concerned 
for  his  own  past  neglect  of  God,  and  the  neglect  of  his 
people  !  The  presence  of  God's  prophet  would  have 
been  counted  at  once  a  necessity  and  a  privilege.  How 
deeply,  in  his  sense  of  sin,  would  he  have  entered 
into  the  meaning  of  the  burnt-offering  !  How  earnestly 
he  would  have  pleaded  for  God's  favour,  counten- 
ance, and  blessing !  If  Jacob  could  not  let  the  angel 
go  at  Peniel  unless  he  blessed  him,  neither  would 
Saul  have  parted  from  God  at  Gilgal  without  some 
assurance  of  help.  "  If  Thy  presence  go  not  with  me," 
he  would  have  said,  "  carry  us  not  up  hence."  Alas, 
we  find  nothing  of  all  this  !  The  servant  of  God  is 
not  waited  for ;  the  form  is  gone  through,  and  Saul  is 
off  to  his  work.     And  this  is  the  doing  of  the  man  who 


214  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL. 


has  been  called  to  be  king  of  Israel,  and  who  has  been 
solemnly  warned  that  God  alone  is  Israel's  defence, 
and  that  to  off  nd  God  is  to  court  ruin ! 

When  Samuel  came,  Saul  was  ready  with  a  plausible 
excuse.  On  the  ground  of  expediency,  he  vindicated 
his  procedure.  He  could  not  deny  that  he  had  broken 
his  promise  (it  was  a  virtual  promise)  to  wait  for 
Samuel,  but  there  were  reasons  exceedingly  strong  to 
justify  him  in  doing  so.  Samuel  had  not  come.  The 
people  were  scattered  from  him.  The  Philistines  were 
concentrating  at  Michmash,  and  might  have  come  down 
and  fallen  upon  him  at  Gilgal.  All  very  true,  but 
not  one  of  them  by  itself,  nor  all  of  them  together,  a 
real  vindication  of  what  he  had  done.  Samuel,  he 
might  be  sure,  would  not  be  an  hour  longer  than  he 
could  help.  There  were  far  more  people  left  to  him 
than  Gideon's  band,  and  the  God  that  gave  the  victory 
to  the  three  hundred  would  not  have  let  him  suffer 
for  want  of  men.  The  Philistines  might  have  been 
discomfited  by  God's  tempest  on  the  way  to  Gilgal,  as 
they  were  discomfited  before,  on  the  way  to  Mizpeh. 
O  Saul,  distrust  of  God  has  been  at  the  bottom  of  your 
mind !  The  faith  that  animated  the  heroes  of  former 
days  has  had  no  control  of  you.  You  have  walked  by 
sight,  not  by  faith.  Had  you  been  faithful  now,  and 
honoured  God,  and  waited  till  His  servant  sent  you  off 
with  his  benediction,  prosperity  would  have  attended 
you,  and  your  family  would  have  been  permanently 
settled  in  the  throne.  But  now  your  kingdom  shall  not 
continue.  Personally,  you  may  continue  to  be  king 
for  many  years  to  come ;  but  the  penalty  which  God 
affixes  to  this  act  of  unbelief,  formality,  and  presumption 
is,  that  no  line  of  kings  shall  spring  from  your  loins.  The 
Lord  hath  sought  Him  a  man  after  His  own  heart,  and 


xiii.]  SAUL  AND  SAMUEL  AT  GILGAL.  215 

the  Lord  hath  commanded  him  to  be  captain  over  His 
people. 

What  a  solemn  and  impressive  condemnation  have 
we  here,  my  friends,  of  that  far  too  common  practice — 
deserting  principle  to  serve  expediency.  I  don't  like  to 
tell  a  lie,  some  one  may  say,  but  if  I  had  not  done 
so,  I  should  have  lost  my  situation.  I  dislike  common 
work  on  the  Sabbath  day,  but  if  I  did  not  do  it,  I  could 
not  live.  I  don't  think  it  right  to  go  to  Sunday  parties 
or  to  play  games  on  Sunday,  but  I  was  invited  by  this 
or  that  great  person  to  do  it,  and  I  could  not  refuse  him. 
I  ought  not  to  adulterate  my  goods,  and  I  ought  not  to 
give  false  statements  of  their  value,  but  every  one  in 
my  business  does  it,  and  I  cannot  be  singular.  What 
do  these  vindications  amount  to,  but  just  a  confession 
that  from  motives  of  expediency  God's  commandment 
may  be  set  aside  ?  These  excuses  just  come  to  this : 
It  was  better  for  me  to  offend  God  and  gain  a  slight 
benefit,  than  it  would  have  been  to  lose  the  benefit  and 
please  God.  It  is  a  great  deal  to  lose  a  small  profit 
in  business,  or  a  small  pleasure  in  social  life,  or  a  small 
honour  from  a  fellow-man  ;  but  it  is  little  or  nothing  to 
displease  God,  it  is  little  or  nothing  to  treasure  up 
wrath  against  the  day  of  wrath.  Alas  for  the  practical 
unbelief  that  lies  at  the  bottom  of  all  this !  It  is  the 
doing  of  the  fool  who  hath  said  in  his  heart.  There  is  no 
God.  Look  at  this  history  of  Saul.  See  what  befell  him 
for  preferring  expediency  to  principle.  Know  that  the 
same  condemnation  awaits  all  who  walk  in  his  footsteps 
— all  who  are  not  solemnized  by  that  awful,  that  un- 
answerable, question,  "  What  shall  it  profit  a  man  if 
he  gain  the  whole  world  and  lose  his  own  soul  ?  " 

Great  offence  has  often  been  taken  at  the  character 
here  ascribed  to  the  man  who  was  to  fill  the  throne 


2i6  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL. 

after  Saul — "The  Lord  hath  sought  Him  a  man 
after  His  own  heart."  Was  David,  the  adulterer,  the 
traitor,  the  murderer,  a  man  after  God's  own  heart  ? 
But  surely  it  is  not  meant  to  be  affirmed  that  David 
was  such  a  man  in  every  aspect,  in  every  particular. 
The  point  on  which  the  emphasis  should  rest  must 
surely  be  that  David  was  such  a  man  in  that  feature 
in  which  Saul  was  so  wanting.  And  undoubtedly  this 
was  eminently  true  of  him.  That  which  stood  out 
most  fully  in  the  public  character  of  David  was  the 
honour  which  he  paid  to  God,  the  constancy  with 
which  he  consulted  His  will,  the  prevailing  desire  he 
had  to  rule  the  kingdom  in  His  fear  and  for  His  glory. 
If  God  was  but  a  form  to  Saul,  He  was  an  intense 
reality  to  David.  If  Saul  could  not  get  it  into  his  mind 
that  he  ought  to  rule  for  God,  David  could  not  have 
got  it  out  of  his  mind  if  he  had  tried.  That  David's 
character  was  deformed  in  many  ways  cannot  be 
denied ;  he  had  not  only  infirmities,  but  tumours, 
blotches,  defilements,  most  distressing  to  behold  ;  but 
in  this  one  thing  he  left  an  example  to  all  of  us,  and 
especially  to  rulers,  which  it  would  be  well  for  all  of  us 
to  ponder  deeply  :  that  the  whole  business  of  govern- 
ment is  to  be  carried  on  in  the  spirit  of  regard  to  the 
will  of  God ;  that  the  w^elfare  of  the  people  is  ever  to 
be  consulted  in  preference  to  the  interests  of  the  prince; 
that  for  nations,  as  for  individuals,  God's  favour  is  life, 
and  His  frown  ruin. 


I 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

JONATHAN'S   EXPLOIT  AT  MICH  MASH, 
I  Samuel  xiv.  i — 23. 

T  has  sometimes  been  objected  to  the  representation 
occurring  at  the  end  of  the  thirteenth  chapter  of  the 
utter  want  of  arms  among  the  Hebrews  at  this  time  that 
it  is  inconsistent  with  the  narrative  of  the  eleventh. 
If  it  be  true,  as  stated  there,  that  the  Israelites  gained 
a  great  victory  over  the  Ammonites,  they  must  have 
had  arms  to  accomphsh  that;  and,  moreover,  the 
victory  itself  must  have  put  them  in  possession  of  the 
arms  of  the  Ammonites.  The  answer  to  this  is,  that 
the  invasion  of  the  Philistines  subsequent  to  this  in  such 
overwhelming  numbers  seems  to  have  been  the  cause 
of  the  miserable  plight  to  which  the  Hebrews  were 
reduced,  and  of  the  loss  of  their  arms. 

Whether  we  are  to  take  the  statement  as  quite  literal 
that  in  the  day  of  battle  there  was  neither  sword  nor 
spear  found  in  the  hand  of  any  of  the  people  save 
Saul  or  Jonathan,  or  whether  we  are  to  regard  this  as 
just  an  Oriental  way  of  saying  that  these  were  the 
only  two  who  had  a  thorough  equipment  of  arms,  it  is 
plain  enough  that  the  condition  of  the  Hebrew  troops 
was  very  wretched.  That  in  their  circumstances  a 
feeling  of  despondency  should  have  fallen  on  all  save 
the  few  who  walked  by  faith,  need  not  excite  any 
surprise. 


21 8  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL. 

The  position  of  the  two  armies  is  not  difficult  to 
understand.  Several  miles  to  the  north  of  Jerusalem, 
a  valley,  now  named  Wady  Suweinet,  runs  from  west 
to  east,  from  the  central  plateau  of  Palestine  down 
towards  the  valley  of  the  Jordan.  The  name  Mukmas, 
still  preserved,  shows  the  situation  of  the  place  which 
was  then  occupied  by  the  garrison  of  the  Philistines. 
Near  to  that  place,  Captain  Conder*  believes  that  he 
has  found  the  very  rocks  where  the  exploit  of  Jonathan 
occurred.  On  either  side  of  the  valley  there  rises  a 
perpendicular  crag,  the  northern  one,  called  in  Scripture 
Bozez,  being  extremely  steep  and  difficult  of  ascent. 
"  It  seems  just  possible  that  Jonathan,  with  immense 
labour,  might  have  climbed  up  on  his  hands  and  his 
feet,  and  his  armour-bearer  after  him." 

It  is  evident  that  Saul  had  no  thought  at  this  time 
of  making  any  attack  on  the  Philistines.  How  could  he, 
with  soldiers  so  poorly  armed  and  so  little  to  encourage 
them  ?  Samuel  does  not  appear  to  have  been  with 
him.  But  in  his  company  was  a  priest,  Ahiah,  the  sor 
of  Ahitub,  grandson  of  Eli,  perhaps  the  same  aa 
Ahimelech,  afterwards  introduced.  Saul  still  adhered 
to  the  forms  of  religion ;  but  he  had  too  much  resem- 
blance to  the  Church  of  Sardis — "  Thou  hast  a  name 
that  thou  livest,  and  art  dead." 

The  position  of  the  army  of  Israel  with  reference  to 
the  Philistines  seems  to  have  been  very  similar  to  what 
it  was  afterwards  when  Goliath  defied  the  army  of  the 
living  God.  The  Israelites  could  only  look  on,  in 
helpless  inactivity.  But  just  as  the  youthful  spirit  of 
David  was  afterwards  roused  in  these  circumstances  to 
exertion,  so  on  the  present  occasion  was  the  youthful 

•  "  Tent  Work  in  Palestine," 


xiv.  1-2  3.]   JON  A  THAN'S  EXPLOIT  A  T  MICHMASH.        2 19 

spirit  of  Jonathan.  It  was  not  the  first  time  that  he 
had  attacked  the  garrison  of  the  PhiUstines.  (See  xiii.  3.) 
But  what  he  did  on  the  former  occasion  seems  to  have 
been  under  more  equal  conditions  than  the  seemingly 
desperate  enterprise  to  which  he  betook  himself  now. 
A  project  of  unprecedented  daring  came  into  his  mind. 
He  took  counsel  with  no  one  about  it.  He  breathed 
nothing  of  it  to  his  father.  A  single  confidant  and  com- 
panion was  all  that  he  thought  of— his  armour-bearer, 
or  aide-de-camp.  And  even  him  he  did  not  so  much 
consult  as  attach.  *'  Come,"  said  he,  "and  let  us  go  over 
unto  the  garrison  of  these  uncircumcised  ;  it  may  be 
that  the  Lord  will  work  for  us ;  for  there  is  no  restraint 
by  the  Lord  to  save  by  many  or  by  few."  No  words 
are  needed  to  show  the  daring  character  of  this  project. 
The  physical  effort  to  climb  on  hands  and  feet  up  a 
precipitous  rock  was  itself  most  difficult  and  perilous, 
possible  only  to  boys,  light  and  lithe  of  form,  and  well 
accustomed  to  it;  and  if  the  garrison  observed  them 
and  chose  to  oppose  them,  a  single  stone  hurled  from 
above  would  stretch  them,  crushed  and  helpless,  on  the 
valley  below.  But  suppose  they  succeeded,  what  were 
a  couple  of  young  men  to  do  when  confronted  with  a 
whole  garrison  ?  Or  even  if  the  garrison  should  be 
overpowered,  how  were  they  to  deal  with  the  Philistine 
host,  that  lay  encamped  at  no  great  distance,  or  at 
most  were  scattered  here  and  there  over  the  country, 
and  would  soon  assemble  ?  In  every  point  of  view 
save  one,  the  enterprise  seemed  utterly  desperate.  But 
that  exception  was  a  very  important  one.  The  one 
point  of  view  in  which  there  was  the  faintest  possibiUty 
of  success  was,  that  the  Lord  God  might  favour  the 
enterprise.  The  God  of  their  fathers  might  work  for 
them,  and  if  He  did  so»  th^re  was  no  restraint  with  Him 


220  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL. 

to  work  by  many  or  by  fev^.  Had  He  not  worked  by 
Ehud  alone  to  deliver  their  fathers  from  the  Moabites  ? 
Had  he  not  worked  by  Shamgar  alone,  when  with  his 
ox  goad  he  slew  six  hundred  Philistines  ?  Had  he  not 
worked  by  Samson  alone  in  all  his  wonderful  exploits  ? 
Might  he  not  work  that  day  by  Jonathan  and  his 
armour-bearer,  and,  after  all,  only  produce  a  new  chapter 
in  that  history  which  had  already  shown  so  many 
wonderful  interpositions  ?  Jonathan's  mind  was  pos- 
sessed by  the  idea.  After  all,  if  he  failed,  he  could  but 
lose  his  life.  And  was  not  that  worth  risking  when 
success,  if  it  were  vouchsafed,  might  rescue  his  country 
from  degradation  and  destruction,  and  fill  the  despair- 
ing hearts  of  his  countrymen  with  emotions  of  joy  and 
triumph  like  those  which  animated  their  fathers  when 
on  the  shores  of  Sinai  they  beheld  the  horse  and  his 
rider  cast  into  the  sea  ? 

It  is  this  working  of  faith  that  must  be  regarded 
as  the  most  characteristic  feature  of  the  attempt  of 
Jonathan.  He  showed  himself  one  of  the  noble  heroes 
of  faith,  not  unworthy  to  be  enrolled  in  the  glorious 
record  of  the  eleventh  chapter  of  the  Hebrews.  He 
showed  himself  pre-eminent  for  the  very  quality  in  which 
his  father  had  proved  deficient.  Though  the  earnest 
lessons  of  Samuel  had  been  lost  on  the  father,  they  had 
been  blessed  to  the  son.  The  seed  that  in  the  one  case 
fell  on  stony  places  fell  in  the  other  on  good  ground. 
While  Samuel  was  doubtless  disconsolate  at  the  failure 
Qf  his  work  with  Saul,  he  was  succeeding  right  well, 
unknown  perhaps  to  himself,  with  the  youth  that  said 
Httle  but  thought  much.  While  in  spirit  perhaps  he 
was  uttering  words  like  Isaiah's,  "  Then  said  I,  I  have 
laboured  in  vain ;  I  have  spent  my  strength  for  nought 
and  in  vain,"  God  was  using  him  in  a  way  that  might 


xiv.  1-23.J   JONATIl/iN'S  EXPLOIT  AT  MICIIMASH.        221 


well  have  led  him  to  add,  "  Yet  surely  my  judgment 
is  with  the  Lord,  and  my  work  with  my  God."  And 
what  encouragement  is  here  for  every  Christian  worker ! 
Don't  despond  when  you  seem  to  fail  in  your  first  and 
most  direct  endeavour.  In  some  quiet  but  thinking 
little  boy  or  girl  in  that  family  circle,  your  words  are 
greatly  regarded.  And  just  because  that  young  mind 
sees,  and  seeing  wonders,  that  father  or  mother  is  so 
little  moved  by  what  you  say,  it  is  the  more  impressed. 
If  the  father  or  the  mother  were  manifestly  to  take  the 
matter  up,  the  child  might  dismiss  it,  as  no  concern  of 
his.  But  just  because  father  or  mother  is  not  taking  it 
up,  the  child  cannot  get  rid  of  it.  ''  Yes,  there  is  an 
eternity,  and  we  ought  all  to  be  preparing  for  it.  Sin 
is  the  soul's  ruin,  and  unless  we  get  a  Saviour,  we  are 
lost.  Jesus  did  come  into  the  world  to  save  sinners ; 
must  we  not  go  to  Him  ?  Yes,  we  must  be  born  again. 
Lord  Jesus,  forgive  us,  help  us,  save  us  ! "  Thus  it 
is  that  things  hid  from  the  wise  and  prudent  are  often 
revealed  to  babes  ;  and  thus  it  is  that  out  of  the  mouth 
of  babes  and  sucklings  God  perfects  praise. 

But  Jonathan's  faith  in  God  was  called  to  manifest 
itself  in  a  way  very  different  from  that  in  which  the 
faith  of  most  young  persons  has  to  be  exercised  now. 
Faith  led  Jonathan  to  seize  sword  and  spear,  and  hurry 
out  to  an  enterprise  in  which  he  could  only  succeed  by 
risking  his  own  life  and  destroying  the  lives  of  others. 
We  are  thus  brought  face  to  face  with  a  strange  but 
fascinating  development  of  the  religious  spirit — military 
faith.  The  subject  has  received  a  new  and  wonderful 
illustration  in  our  day  in  the  character  and  career 
of  that  great  Christian  hero  General  Gordon.  In  Jie 
career  of  Gordon,  we  see  faith  contributing  an  element 
of  power,   an  element  of  daring,   and    an    element   of 


223  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL, 

security  and  success  to  a  soldier,  which  can  come  from 
no  other  source.  No  one  imagines  that  without  his 
faith  Gordon  would  have  been  what  he  was  or  could 
have  done  what  he  did.  It  is  httle  to  say  that  faith 
raised  him  high  above  all  ordinary  fears,  or  that  it  made 
him  ready  at  any  moment  to  risk,  and  if  need  be,  to 
sacrifice  his  life.  It  did  a  great  deal  more.  It  gave 
him  a  conviction  that  he  was  an  instrument  in  God's 
hands,  and  that  when  he  was  moved  to  undertake  any- 
thing as  being  God's  will,  he  would  be  carried  through 
all  difficulties,  enabled  to  surmount  all  opposition,  and 
to  carry  the  point  in  face  of  the  most  tremendous  odds. 
And  to  a  great  extent  the  result  verified  the  belief. 
If  Gordon  could  not  be  said  to  work  miracles,  he 
achieved  results  that  even  miracles  could  hardly  have 
surpassed.  If  he  failed  in  the  last  and  greatest  hazard 
of  his  Ufe,  he  only  showed  that  after  much  success  one 
may  come  to  believe  too  readily  in  one's  inspiration ; 
one  may  mistake  the  voice  of  one's  own  feeling  for  the 
unfailing  assurance  of  God.  But  that  there  is  a  great 
amount  of  reality  in  that  faith  which  hears  God  calling 
one  as  if  with  audible  voice,  and  goes  forth  to  the  most 
difficult  enterprises  in  the  full  trust  of  Divine  protection 
and  aid,  is  surely  a  lesson  w^hich  lies  on  the  very 
surface  of  the  life  of  Gordon,  and  such  other  lives  of 
the  same  kind  as  Scripture  shows  us,  as  well  as  the 
lives  of  those  mihtary  heroes  of  whom  we  will  speak 
afterwards,  whose  battle  has  been  not  with  flesh  and 
blood,  but  with  the  ignorance  and  the  vice  and  the 
disorder  of  the  world. 

One  is  almost  disposed  to  envy  Jonathan,  with  his 
whole  powers  of  mind  and  body  knit  up  to  the  pitch 
of  firmest  and  most  dauntless  resolution,  under  the 
inspiration  that  rnoved  him  to  this  apparently  desperate 


xiv.  1-23.]    JONA THAN 'S  EXPLOIT  A T  MICIIMASH.         323 


enterprise.  All  the  world  would  have  rushed  to  stop 
him,  insanely  tlirowing  away  his  life,  without  the  faintest 
chance  of  escape.  But  a  voice  spoke  firmly  in  his  bosom, 
— I  am  not  throwing  away  my  life.  And  Jonathan  did 
not  want  certain  tokens  of  encouragement.  It  was 
something  that  his  armour-bearer  neither  flinched  nor 
remonstrated.  But  that  was  not  all.  To  encourage 
himself  and  to  encourage  his  companion,  he  fixed  on 
what  might  be  considered  a  token  for  them  to  persevere 
in  one  alternative,  and  desist  in  another.  The  token 
was,  that  if,  on  observing  their  attempt,  the  Philistines 
in  the  garrison  should  defy  them,  should  bid  them  tarry 
till  they  came  to  them,  that  would  be  a  sign  that  they 
ought  to  return.  But  if  they  should  say,  "Come  up 
to  us,"  that  would  be  a  proof  that  they  ought  to 
persevere.  Was  this  a  mere  arbitrary  token,  without 
anything  reasonable  underlying  it  ?  It  does  not  seem  to 
have  been  so.  In  the  one  case,  the  words  of  the  Philis- 
tines would  bear  a  hostile  meaning,  denoting  that 
violence  would  be  used  against  them ;  in  the  other  case 
they  would  denote  that  the  Philistines  were  prepared  to 
treat  them  peaceably,  under  the  idea  perhaps  that  they 
were  tired  of  skulking  and,  like  other  Hebrews  (ver.  21), 
wishing  to  surrender  to  the  enemy.  In  this  latter 
case,  they  would  be  able  to  make  good  their  position 
on  the  rock,  and  the  enemy  would  not  suspect  their 
real  errand  till  they  were  ready  to  begin  their  work.  It 
turned  out  that  their  reception  was  in  the  latter  fashion. 
Whether  in  the  way  of  friendly  banter  or  otherwise,  the 
garrison,  on  perceiving  them,  invited  them  to  come  up, 
and  they  would  "  show  them  a  thing."  Greatly  en- 
couraged by  the  sign,  they  clambered  up  on  hands 
and  feet  till  they  gained  the  top  of  the  rock.  Then, 
when  nothing  of  the  kind  was  expected,  they  fell  or 


224  THE  FIRST  BOOK'  OF  SAMUEL. 


the  garrison  and  began  to  kill.  So  sudden  and  unex- 
pected an  onslaught  threw  the  garrison  into  a  panic. 
Their  arms  perhaps  were  not  at  hand,  and  for  anything 
they  knew,  a  whole  host  of  Hebrews  might  be  hasten- 
ing after  their  leaders  to  complete  the  work  of  slaughter. 
In  this  way,  nearly  twenty  Philistines  fell  in  half  an 
acre  of  ground.  The  rest  of  the  garrison  taking  to 
flight  seems  to  have  spread  a  panic  among  the  host. 
Confusion  and  terror  prevailed  on  every  side.  Every 
man's  sword  was  against  his  fellow.  "  There  was 
trembling  in  the  host,  in  the  field,  and  among  the 
people ;  the  spoilers  and  the  garrison,  they  also  trembled, 
and  the  earth  quaked  ;  so  it  was  a  very  great  trembling. 
Whether  this  implies  that  the  terror  and  discomfiture 
of  the  Philistines  was  increased  by  an  earthquake,  or 
whether  it  means  that  there  was  so  much  motion  and 
commotion  that  the  very  earth  seemed  to  quake,  it  is 
not  very  easy  to  decide;  but  it  shows  how  complete 
was  the  discomfiture  of  the  Philistines.  Thus  wonder- 
fully was  Jonathan's  faith  rewarded,  and  thus  vron- 
derfuUy,  too,  was  the  unbelief  of  Saul  rebuked. 

Seen  from  the  watch-tower  at  Gibeah,  the  affair  was 
shrouded  in  myster}'.  It  seem^ed  as  if  the  Philistine 
troops  were  retreating,  while  no  force  was  there  to 
make  them  retreat.  When  inquiry  was  made  as  to 
who  were  absent,  Jonathan  and  his  armour-bearer  alone 
were  missed.  So  perplexed  was  Saul,  that,  to  under- 
stand the  position  of  affairs,  he  had  called  for  Ahiah, 
who  had  charge  of  the  ark  (the  Septuagint  reads,  ''  the 
ephod  "),  to  consult  the  oracle.  But  before  this  could 
be  done,  the  condition  of  things  became  more  plain. 
The  noise  in  the  host  of  the  Philistines  went  on 
increasing,  and  when  Saul  and  his  soldiers  came  on 
the  spot,  they  found  the  Philistines,  in  their  confusion, 


XIV.  1-23.]   JON  A  THAN'S  EXPLOIT  A  T  M J  CUM  ASH.         225 

slaughtering  one  another,  amid   all  the  signs  of  wild 
discomfiture.     Nothing  loath,  they  joined  in  harassing 
the  retreating  foe.     And  as  the  situation  revealed  itself 
others    hastened    to   take    part   in    the    fray.      Those 
Hebrews    that   had    come   for   protection   within    the 
Philistine  lines  now  turned  against  them,  all  the  more 
heartily  perhaps  because,  before  that,  they  had  had  to 
place  their  feelings  so  much  under  restraint.     And  the 
Hebrews  that  lay  hid  in  caves  and  thickets  and  pits, 
when    they    saw   what    was    going   on,    rushed    forth 
to  join  in  the  discomfiture  of  the  Philistines.     What 
a  contrast   to  the  state  of  things  that  very  morning  ! 
— the  Israelites    in    helpless    feebleness,    looking  with 
despair  on  the  Philistines  as  they  lay  in  their  strong- 
hold in  all  the  pride  of  security,  and  scattered  defiant 
looks  and  scornful  words  among  their  foes  ;  now  the 
Philistine  garrison  surprised,  their  camp  forsaken,  their 
army  scattered,  and  the  only  desire  or  purpose  animat- 
ing the   remnant   being   to  escape  at  the  top  of  their 
speed  from   the   land  of  Israel,  and    find  shelter  and 
security  in  their  native  country.     "  So  the  Lord  saved 
Israel  that  day ;  and  the  battle  passed  over  unto  Beth- 
aven." 

And  thus  the  faith  of  Jonathan  had  a  glorious 
reward.  The  inspiration  of  faith  vindicated  itself,  and 
the  noble  self-devotion  that  had  plunged  into  this  other- 
wise desperate  enterprise,  because  there  was  no  restraint 
to  the  Lord  to  save  by  many  or  by  few,  led  thus  to 
a  triumph  more  speedy  and  more  complete  than  even 
Jonathan  could  have  ventured  to  dream  of.  None  of 
the  judges  had  wrought  a  more  com.plete  or  satisfactory 
deliverance ;  and  even  the  crossing  of  the  Red  Sea 
under  Moses  had  not  afforded  a  more  glorious  evidence 
than  this  achievement  of  Jonathan's  of  the  power  oi 

VOL.    L  15 


226  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL, 

faith,  or  given  more  ample  testimony  to  that  principle 
of  the  kingdom  of  God,  which  our  Lord  afterwards 
enunciated,  "If  ye  have  faith  as  a  grain  of  mustard 
seed,  ye  shall  say  unto  this  mountain,  Remove  hence 
unto  yonder  place;  and  it  shall  remove ;  and  nc thing 
shall  be  impossible  unto  you." 

This  incident  is  full  of  lessons  for  modern  times. 
First,  it  shows  what  wide  and  important  results  may 
come  from  individual  conviction.  When  an  individual 
heart  is  moved  by  a  strong  conviction  of  duty,  it  may 
be  that  God  means  through  that  one  man's  conviction 
to  move  the  world.  Modesty  might  lead  a  man  to  say, 
I  am  but  a  unit ;  I  have  no  influence  ;  it  will  make  very 
little  difference  what  I  do  with  my  conviction,  whether 
I  cherish  it  or  stifle  it.  Yet  it  may  be  of  just  world- 
wide importance  that  you  be  faithful  to  it,  and  stand 
by  it  steadfastly  to  the  end.  Did  not  the  Reformation 
begin  through  the  steadfastness  of  Luther,  the  miner's 
son  of  Eisleben,  to  the  voice  that  spoke  out  so  loudly 
to  himself?  Did  not  Carey  lay  the  foundation  of  the 
modern  mission  in  India,  because  he  could  not  get  rid 
of  that  verse  of  Scripture,  "  Go  ye  into  all  the  world, 
and  preach  the  Gospel  to  every  creature "  ?  Did  not 
Livingstone  persevere  in  the  most  dangerous,  the  most 
desperate  enterprise  of  our  time,  because  he  could  not 
quench  the  voice  that  called  him  to  open  up  Africa  or 
perish  ?  Or  to  go  back  to  Scripture  times.  A  Jewish 
maiden  at  the  court  of  the  great  king  of  Persia  becomes 
the  saviour  of  her  whole  nation,  because  she  feels  that, 
at  th.e  risk  of  her  life,  she  must  speak  a  w^ord  for  them 
to  the  king.  Saul  of  Tarsus,  after  his  conversion, 
becomes  impressed  with  the  conviction  that  he  must 
preach  the  Gospel  to  the  Gentiles,  and  through  his 
faithfulness  to  that  conviction,  he  lays  the  foundation 


xiv.  1-23.]    JONATIJAN'S  EXPLOIT  AT  MICIJMASH.        227 

of  the  whole  European  Church.  Learn,  my  friends, 
every  one,  from  this,  never  to  be  faithless  to  any 
conviction  given  to  you,  though,  as  far  as  you  know, 
it  is  given  to  you  alone.  Make  very  sure  that  it  comes 
from  the  God  of  truth.  But  don't  stifle  it,  under  the 
notion  that  you  are  too  weak  to  bring  anything  out 
of  it.  Don't  reason  that  if  it  were  really  from  God, 
it  would  be  given  to  others  too.  Test  it  in  every  way 
you  can,  to  determine  whether  it  be  right.  And  if  it 
stands  these  tests,  manfully  give  effect  to  it,  for  it  may 
bear  seed  that  will  spread  over  the  globe. 

Second,  this  narrative  shows  what  large  results  may 
flow  from  individual  effort.  The  idea  may  not  have 
occurred  for  the  first  time  to  some  one ;  it  may  have 
been  derived  by  him  from  another ;  but  it  has  com- 
mended itself  to  him,  it  has  been  taken  up  by  him,  and 
worked  out  by  him  to  results  of  great  magnitude  and 
importance.  Pay  a  visit  to  the  massive  buildings 
and  well-ordered  institutions  of  Kaiserswerth,  learn  it* 
ramifications  all  over  the  globe,  and  see  what  has  come 
of  the  individual  efforts  of  Fliedner.  Think  how  many 
children  have  been  rescued  by  Dr.  Barnardo,  how 
many  have  been  emigrated  by  Miss  Macpherson,  how 
many  souls  have  been  impressed  by  Mr.  Moody,  how 
many  orplians  have  been  cared  for  by  Mr.  Miiller, 
how  many  stricken  ones  have  been  relieved  in  the  in- 
stitutions of  John  Bost.  It  is  true,  we  are  not  promised 
that  every  instance  of  individual  effort  will  bring  any 
such  harvest.  It  may  be  that  we  are  to  be  content 
with  very  limited  results,  and  with  the  encomium 
bestowed  on  the  woman  in  the  Gospel,  '^  She  hath  done 
what  she  could."  But  it  is  also  true  that  none  of  us 
can  tell  what  possibiUties  there  are  in  individual  effort. 
We   cannot   tell  but  in   our  case  the  emblem  of  the 


228  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL, 

seventy- second  Psalm  may  be  verified,  "  There  shall 
be  an  handful  of  corn  in  the  earth  on  the  top  of  the 
mountains;  the  fruit  thereof  shall  shake  like  Lebanon, 
and  they  of  the  city  shall  flourish  like  grass  of  the 
earth." 

Lastly,  we  may  learn  from  this  narrative  that  the 
true  secret  of  all  spiritual  success  lies  in  our  seeking 
to  be  instruments  in  God's  hands,  and  in  our  lending 
ourselves  to  Him,  to  do  in  us  and  by  us  vi^hatever 
is  good  in  His  sight.  Thus  it  was  eminently  with 
Jonathan.  "  It  m.ay  be  that  the  Lord  will  work  for  us  ; 
for  there  is  no  restraint  to  the  Lord  to  save  by  many 
or  by  few."  It  was  not  Jonathan  that  was  to  work 
with  some  help  from  God  ;  it  was  the  Lord  that  was  to 
work  by  Jonathan.  It  was  not  Jonathan's  project  that 
was  to  be  carried  out ;  it  was  the  Lord's  cause  that 
was  to  be  advanced.  Jonathan  had  no  personal  ends 
in  this  matter.  He  was  willing  to  give  up  his  life,  if 
the  Lord  should  require  it.  It  is  a  like  consecration 
in  all  spiritual  service  that  brings  most  blessing  and 
success.  Men  that  have  nothing  of  their  own  to  gain 
are  the  men  who  gain  most.  Men  who  sacrifice  all 
desire  for  personal  honour  are  the  men  who  are  most 
highly  honoured.  Men  who  make  themselves  of  no 
reputation  are  the  men  who  gain  the  highest  reputation. 
Because  Christ  emptied  Himself,  and  took  on  Him  the 
form  of  a  servant,  God  highly  exalted  Him  and  gave 
Him  a  name  above  every  name.  And  those  who  are 
like  Christ  in  the  mortifying  of  self  become  like  Christ 
also  in  the  enjoyment  of  the  reward.  Such  are  the 
rules  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven.  "  He  that  loveth  his 
life  shall  lose  it,  and  he  that  hateth  his  life  in  this 
world  shall   keep  it   unto  life  eternal" 


CHAPTER  XX, 

SAUVS   WILFULNESS. 

I  Samuel  xiv.  24—51. 

THAT  Saul  was  now  suffering  in  character  under 
the  influence  of  the  high  position  and  great 
power  to  which  he  had  been  raised,  is  only  too  ap- 
parent from  what  is  recorded  in  these  verses.  No 
doubt  he  pays  more  respect  than  he  has  been  used  to 
pay  to  the  forms  of  religion.  He  enjoins  a  fast  on  his 
people  at  a  very  inconvenient  time,  under  the  idea  that 
fasting  is  a  proper  religious  act.  He  is  concerned  for 
the  trespass  of  the  people  in  eating  their  food  with  the 
blood.  He  builds  the  first  altar  he  ever  built  to  God. 
He  consults  the  oracle  before  he  will  commit  himself 
to  the  enterprise  of  pursuing  the  retreating  enemy  by 
night.  He  is  concerned  to  find  the  oracle  dumb,  and 
tries  to  discover  through  whose  sin  it  is  so.  For  a 
ceremonial  offence,  committed  by  Jonathan  in  ignor- 
ance, he  fancies  that  God's  displeasure  has  come  down 
on  the  people,  and  he  not  only  insists  that  Jonathan 
shall  die  for  this  offence,  but  confirms  his  decision  by 
a  solemn  oath,  sworn  in  the  name  of  God.  All  this 
shows  Saul  plunging  and  floundering  from  one  mistake 
to  another,  and  crowning  his  blunders  by  a  proposal  so 
outrageous  that  the  indignation  of  the  people  arrests 
his  purpose.     The  idea  that  the  work  of  the  day  sliall 


230  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL, 

be  wound  up  by  the  execution  of  the  youth  through 
whom  all  the  wonderful  deliverance  has  come,  and  that 
youth  Saul's  own  son,  is  one  that  could  never  have 
entered  into  any  but  a  distempered  brain.  Reason 
seems  to  have  begun  to  stagger  on  her  throne ;  the  sad 
process  has  begun  which  in  a  more  advanced  stage 
left  Saul  the  prey  of  an  evil  spirit,  and  in  its  last  and 
most  humiliating  stage  drove  him  to  consult  with  the 
witch  of  Endor. 

But  how  are  we  to  explain  his  increase  of  religious- 
ness side  by  side  with  the  advance  of  moral  obliquity 
and  recklessness  ?  Why  should  he  be  more  careful  in 
the  service  of  God  while  he  becomes  more  imperious 
in  temper,  more  stubborn  in  will,  and  more  regardless 
of  the  obligations  alike  of  king  and  father?  The 
explanation  is  not  difficult  to  find.  The  expostulation 
of  Samuel  had  given  him  a  fright.  The  announcement 
that  the  kingdom  would  not  be  continued  in  his  line, 
and  that  God  had  found  a  worthier  man  to  set  over 
His  people  Israel,  had  moved  him  to  the  quick. 
There  could  be  no  doubt  that  Samuel  was  speaking  the 
truth.  Saul  had  begun  to  disregard  God's  will  in  his 
public  acts,  and  was  now  beginning  to  reap  the  penalty 
He  felt  that  he  must  pay  more  attention  to  God's  will. 
If  he  was  not  to  lose  everything,  he  must  try  to  be 
more  religious.  There  is  no  sign  of  his  feeling  penitent 
in  heart.  He  is  not  concerned  in  spirit  for  his 
unworthy  behaviour  toward  God.  He  feels  only  that 
his  own  interests  as  king  are  imperilled.  It  is  this 
selfish  motive  that  makes  him  determine  to  be  more 
religious.  The  fast,  and  the  consultation  of  the  oracle, 
and  the  altar,  and  the  oath  that  Jonathan  shall  die, 
have  all  their  origin  in  this  frighten/^d,  selfish  feeling. 
And  hence,  in  their  very  nature  and  circumstances,  his 


Kiv.  24-52.]  SAUnS  WILFULNESS.  431 

religious  acts  are  unsuitable  and  unseemly.  In  place 
of  making  things  better  by  such  services,  he  makes 
them  worse ;  no  peace  of  God  falls  like  dew  on  his  soul ; 
no  joy  is  diffused  throughout  his  army ;  discontent 
reaches  a  cHmax  when  the  death  of  Jonathan  is  called 
for;  and  tranquillity  is  restored  only  by  the  rebellion 
of  the  people,  rescuing  their  youthful  prince  and  hero. 

Alas,  how  common  has  this  spirit  been  in  the  history 
of  the  world  1  What  awful  tragedies  has  it  led  to, 
what  slaughter  of  heretics,  what  frightful  excesses  dis- 
graceful to  kings,  what  outrages  on  the  common  feel- 
ings of  humanity  I  Louis  XIV.  has  led  a  most  wicked 
and  profligate  life,  and  he  has  ever  and  anon  qualms 
that  threaten  him  with  the  wrath  of  God.  To  avert 
that  wrath,  he  must  be  more  attentive  to  his  religious 
duties.  He  must  show  more  favour  to  the  Church, 
exalt  her  dignitaries  to  greater  honour,  endow  her 
orders  and  foundations  with  greater  wealth.  But  that 
is  not  all.  He  must  use  all  the  arms  and  resources  of 
his  kingdom  for  ridding  the  Church  of  her  enemies. 
For  twenty  years  he  must  harass  the  Protestants  with 
every  kind  of  vexatious  interference,  shutting  up  their 
churches  on  frivolous  pretexts,  compelling  them  to  bury 
their  dead  by  night,  forbidding  the  singing  of  psalms  in 
worship,  subjecting  them  to  great  injustice  in  their  civil 
rapacity,  and  at  last,  by  the  revocation  of  the  edict 
that  gave  them  toleration,  sweeping  them  from  the 
kingdom  in  hundreds  of  thousands,  till  hardly  a  Pro- 
testant is  left  behind.  What  the  magnificent  monarch 
did  on  a  large  scale,  millions  of  obscurer  men  have  done 
on  a  small.  It  is  a  sad  truth  that  terror  and  selfishness 
have  been  at  the  foundation  of  a  great  deal  of  that 
which  passes  current  as  religion.  Prayers  and  penances 
and  vows  and  chanties  in  cases  without  number  have 


232  TBE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL, 


been  little  better  than  premiums  of  insurance,  designed 
to  save  the  soul  from  punisliment  and  pain.  Nor  have 
these  acts  been  confined  to  that  Church  which,  more 
than  any  other,  has  encouraged  men  to  lock  for  saving 
benefit  to  the  merit  of  their  own  works.  Many  a 
Protestant,  roused  by  his  conscience  into  a  state  of 
fright,  has  resolved  to  be  more  attentive  to  the  duties 
of  religion.  He  will  read  his  Bible  more  ;  he  will  pray 
more ;  he  will  give  more ;  he  will  go  to  church  more. 
Alas,  the  spring  of  all  this  is  found  in  no  humiliation 
for  sin  before  God,  no  grief  at  having  offended  the 
Father,  no  humble  desire  to  be  renewed  in  heart  and 
conformed  to  the  image  of  the  First-born !  And  the 
consequence  is,  as  in  the  case  of  Saul,  that  things  go, 
not  from  bad  to  better,  but  from  bad  to  worse.  Ti:ere 
is  no  peace  of  God  that  passeth  all  understanding ; 
there  is  no  general  rectification  of  the  disordered 
faculties  of  the  soul ;  there  is  no  token  of  heavenly 
blessing,  blessing  to  the  man  himself  and  blessing  to 
those  about  him.  A  more  fier}'-  element  seems  to  come 
into  his  temper ;  a  more  bitter  tone  pervades  his  life. 
To  himself  it  feels  as  if  there  were  no  good  in  trying 
to  be  better;  to  the  world  it  appears  as  if  reHgion  put 
more  of  the  devil  into  him.  But  it  is  all  because  what 
he  calls  religion  is  no  religion  ;  it  is  the  selfish  bargain- 
making  spirit,  which  aims  no  higher  than  deliverance 
from  pain ;  it  is  not  the  noble  exercise  of  the  soul, 
prostrated  by  the  sense  of  guilt,  and  helpless  through 
consciousness  of  v/eakness,  lifting  up  its  eyes  to  the 
hills  whence  cometh  its  help,  and  rejoicing  in  the  grace 
that  freely  pardons  all  its  sin  through  the  blood  of 
Christ,  and  in  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Spirit  that  renews 
and  sanctifies  the  soul. 

The  first  thing  that  Saul  does,  in  the  exercise  of  this 


xiv. 24-52.]  SAUL'S   WILFULNESS,  I33 

selfish  spirit,  is  to  impose  on  the  people  an  obligation 
to  fast  until  the  day  be  over.     Any  one  may  see  that 
tc  compel  fasting  under  such  circumstances  was  alike 
cruel  and    unwise.     To   fast  in   the  solitude  of  one's 
chamber,  where  there  is  no  extra  wear  and  tear  of  the 
bodily    organs,     and    therefore    no    special    need    for 
recruiting  them,  is  comparatively  safe  and  easy.     But 
to  fast  amid  the  struggles  of  battle  or  the  hurry  of  a 
pursuit ;  to  fast  under  the  burning  sun  and  that  strain 
of  the  system  w^hich  brings  the  keenest  thirst ;  to  fast 
under  exertions   that  rapidly  exhaust  the    thews   and 
sinews,  and  call  for  a  renewal  of  their  tissues — to  fast 
in    circumstances   like   these   involves   an   amount    of 
suffering  which  it  is  not  easy  to  estimate.     It  was  cruel 
in  Saul  to  impose  a  fast  at  such  a  time,  all  the  more 
that,  being  commander-in-chief  of  the  army,  it  was  his 
duty  to  do  his  utmost  for  the  comfort  of  his  soldiers. 
But  it   was  unwise  as  well    as   cruel;    with    energies 
impaired  by  fasting,  they  could  not  continue  the  pursuit 
nor   make   the  victory  so    telling.       Perhaps   he    was 
under   the   influence   of   the   delusion    that   the   more 
painful  a  religious  service  is,  the  more  is  it  acceptable 
to  God.     That  idea  of  penance  does  find  a  place  in  oui 
natural    notions  of  rehgion.      Saul,  as  we  have  seen, 
grew  up  with  little  acquaintance  with  religious  persons 
and  little  knowledge  of  Divine  things ;   and  now  that 
perforce  he  is  constrained  to  attend  to  them,  it  is  no 
wonder  if  he  falls  into  many  a  serious  error.     For  he 
probably   had   no    idea   of   that   great   rule   of  God's 
kingdom,  "  I  will  have  mercy,  and  not  sacrifice." 

The  folly  of  Saul's  order  became  apparent  when  the 
army  came  to  a  wood,  where,  as  is  common  enough  in 
the  country,  a  stream  of  wild  honey  poured  out,  probably 
from  the  trunk  of  a  hollow  tree.     Stretching  out  his 


23t  THE  FIRST  BOOK   OF  SAMUEL. 

rod  or  spear,  Jonathan  fixed  it  in  a  piece  of  the  comb, 
which  he  transferred  with  his  hand  to  his  mouth. 
Immediately  "his  eyes  were  enlightened;"  the  dull 
feeling  which  settles  on  the  eyes  amid  fatigue  and 
hunger  disappeared ;  and  with  the  return  of  clear 
vision  to  his  eyes,  there  would  come  a  restoration  of 
vigour  to  his  whole  frame.  When  told  for  the  first 
time  of  the  order  which  his  father  had  given,  he  showed 
no  regret  at  having  broken  it,  but  openly  expressed  his 
displeasure  at  its  having  ever  been  imposed.  "  Then 
said  Jonathan,  My  father  hath  troubled  the  land.  See, 
I  pray  you,  how  mine  eyes  have  been  enlightened, 
because  I  tasted  a  little  of  this  honey.  How  much 
more  if  haply  the  people  had  eaten  freely  to-day  of 
the  spoil  of  their  enemies  which  they  found  I  for  had 
there  not  been  a  much  greater  slaughter  among  the 
Philistines  ? "  We  must  bear  in  mind  that  Jonathan 
was  a  true  man  of  God.  He  had  set  out  that  morning 
in  his  wonderful  exploit  in  the  true  spirit  of  faith  and 
full  consecration  to  God.  He  was  in  far  nearer  fellow- 
ship with  God  than  his  father,  and  yet  so  far  from 
approving  of  the  religious  order  to  fast  which  his 
father  had  given,  he  regards  it  with  displeasure  and 
distrust.  Godly  men  will  sometimes  be  found  less 
outwardly  religious  than  some  other  men,  and  will 
greatly  shock  them  by  being  so.  The  godly  man  has 
an  unction  from  the  Holy  One  to  understand  His 
will ;  he  goes  straight  to  the  Lord's  business ;  like  our 
blessed  Lord,  he  finishes  the  work  given  him  to  do  * 
while  the  merely  religious  man  is  often  so  occupied 
with  his  forms,  that,  like  the  Pharisees,  he  neglects  the 
structure  for  which  forms  are  but  the  scaffolding ;  in 
paying  his  tithes  of  mint,  anise,  and  cummin,  he  omits 
the  weightier  matters — ^justice,  mercy,  and  truth. 


xiv.  24-52.]  SAUVS    IVJLJ'VLA'ESS.  235 

But  the  evil  caused  by  Saul's  injudicious  fast  was 
not  yet  over.  The  obligation  to  fast  lasted  only  till 
sunset,  and  when  the  day  was  ended,  the  people,  faint 
and  ravenous,  flew  upon  the  spoil — sheep,  oxen, 
and  calves — and  devoured  them  on  the  spot,  without 
taking  time  or  pains  to  sever  the  blood  from  the  flesh. 
To  remedy  this,  Saul  had  a  great  stone  placed  beside 
him,  and  ordered  the  people  to  bring  every  man  his  ox 
or  his  sheep,  and  slay  them  on  that  stone,  that  he 
might  see  that  the  blood  was  properly  drained  from  the 
flesh.  Then  we  gather  from  the  marginal  reading  of 
ver.  35  that  he  was  proceeding  to  erect  with  the  stone 
an  altar  to  God,  but  that  he  did  not  carry  this  purpose 
completely  into  effect,  because  he  determined  to  con- 
tinue the  pursuit  of  the  Philistines.  He  saw  how  much 
recruited  his  troops  were  by  their  food,  and  he  therefore 
determined  to  make  a  new  assault.  If  it  had  not  been 
for  the  unwise  order  to  fast  given  early  in  the  day,  if 
the  people  had  been  at  liberty  to  help  themselves  to  the 
honey  as  they  passed  it,  or  to  such  other  refreshments 
as  they  found  in  their  way,  they  would  have  been  some 
hours  earlier  in  this  pursuit,  and  it  would  have  been  so 
much  the  more  effectual. 

It  would  seem,  however,  that  the  priest  who  was  in 
attendance  on  Saul  was  somewhat  alarmed  at  the 
abrupt  and  rather  reckless  way  in  which  the  king 
was  making  his  plans  and  giving  his  orders.  "  Let  us 
draw  near  hither  unto  God,"  said  he.  Counsel  was 
accordingly  asked  of  God  whether  Saul  should  go  down 
after  the  Philistines  and  whether  God  would  deliver 
them  into  the  hand  of  Israel.  But  to  this  inquiry  no 
answer  was  given.  It  was  natural  to  infer  that  some 
sin  had  separated  between  God  and  Saul,  some  iniquity 
had  caused  God  to  hide  His  face  from  him.     Here  was 


236  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL, 

a  State  of  things  that  might  well  make  Saul  pause  and 
examine  himself.  Had  he  done  so  in  an  honest  spirit, 
he  could  hardly  have  failed  to  find  out  what  was  wrong. 
God  had  given  a  wonderful  deliverance  that  day  through 
Jonathan.  Jonathan  was  as  remarkable  for  the  power 
of  faith  as  Saul  for  the  want  of  it.  Jonathan  had  been 
wonderfully  blessed  that  day,  but  now  that  Saul,  through 
the  priest,  sought  to  have  a  communication  with  God, 
none  was  given.  Might  he  not  have  seen  that  the  real 
cause  of  this  was  that  Saul  wanted  what  Jonathan 
possessed  ?  Besides,  was  Saul  doing  justice  to  Jona- 
than in  taking  the  enterprise  out  of  his  hands  ?  If 
Jonathan  began  it,  was  he  not  entitled  to  finish  it  ? 
Would  not  Saul  have  been  doing  a  thing  alike  generous 
and  just  had  he  stood  aside  at  this  time,  and  called  on 
Jonathan  to  complete  the  work  of  the  day  ?  If  the 
king  of  England  was  justified  in  not  going  to  the  help 
of  the  Black  Prince,  serious  though  his  danger  w^as,  but 
leaving  him  to  extricate  himself,  and  thus  enjo}^  the 
whole  credit  of  his  valour,  might  not  Saul  have  let  his 
son  end  the  enterprise  which  he  had  so  auspiciously 
begun  ?  In  these  two  facts,  in  the  difference  between 
him  and  Jonathan  as  to  the  spirit  of  faith,  and  in  the 
way  in  which  Saul  displaced  the  man  whom  God  so 
signally'  countenanced  in  the  morning,  the  king  of 
Israel  might  have  found  the  cause  of  the  silence  of  the 
oracle.  And  the  right  thing  for  him  would  have  been 
to  confess  his  error,  stand  aside,  and  call  on  Jonathan 
to  continue  the  pursuit  and,  if  possible,  exterminate 
the  foe. 

But  Saul  took  a  different  course.  He  had  recourse 
to  the  lot,  to  determine  the  guilty  party.  Now,  it  does 
not  appear  that  even  the  king  of  Israel,  with  the  priest 
at  his  side,  was  entitled  to  resort  to  the  lot  to  ascertain 


xiv.24S2.1  SAUnS   WILFULNESS,  237 

the  mind  of  God  except  in  cases  where  all  natural 
means  of  discovering  it  confessedly  failed.  But  we 
have  just  seen  that  in  this  case  the  natural  means  had 
not  failed.  Therefore  there  was  no  obligation  on  God 
to  order  the  lot  supernaturally  so  as  to  bring  out  the 
truth.  In  point  of  fact,  the  process  ended  so  as  to 
point  to  the  very  last  man  in  all  the  army  to  whom 
blame  was  due.  It  was,  as  mathematicians  say,  a 
reduciio  ad  ahsurdum.  It  is  a  proof  that  an  instrument 
is  out  of  order  if  it  brings  out  a  result  positively 
ludicrous.  If  near  the  equator  an  instrument  gives  the 
latitude  of  the  polar  circle,  it  is  a  proof  that  it  is  not 
working  rightly.  When  the  lot  pointed  to  Jonathan, 
it  was  a  proof  that  it  was  not  working  rightly.  Any 
man  might  have  seen  this.  And  Saul  ought  to  have 
seen  it.  And  he  ought  to  have  confessed  that  he  was 
entirely  out  of  his  reckoning.  Frankly  and  cordially 
he  should  have  taken  the  blame  on  himself,  and  at  once 
exonerated  his  noble  son. 

But  Saul  was  in  no  mood  to  take  the  blame  on 
himself.  Nor  had  he  moral  sagacity  enough  to  see 
what  an  outrage  it  would  be  to  lay  the  blame  on 
Jonathan.  Assuming  that  he  was  guilty,  he  asked  him 
what  he  had  done.  He  had  done  nothing  but  eat  a 
little  honey,  not  having  heard  the  king's  order  to 
abstain.  The  justification  was  complete.  At  worst,  it 
was  but  a  ceremonial  offence,  but  to  Jonathan  it  was 
not  even  that.  But  Saul  was  too  obstinate  to  admit 
the  plea.  By  a  new  oath,  he  devoted  his  son  to 
death.  Nothing  could  show  more  clearly  the  deplorable 
state  of  his  mind.  In  the  eye  of  reason  and  of  justice, 
Jonathan  had  committed  no  offence.  He  had  given 
signal  evidence  of  the  possession  in  a  remarkable  degree 
of  the  favour  of  God.     He  had  laid  the  nation  under 


238  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL, 

inconceivable  obligations.  All  these  pleas  were  for 
him ;  and  surely  in  the  king's  breast  a  voice  might 
have  been  heard  pleading,  Your  son,  your  first-born, 
*'  the  beginning  of  your  strength,  the  excellency  of 
dignity,  and  the  excellency  of  power "  !  Is  it  possible 
that  this  voice  was  silenced  by  jealousy,  jealousy  of  his 
own  son,  like  his  after-jealousy  of  David  ?  What  kind 
of  heart  could  this  Saul  have  had  when  in  such  circum- 
stances he  could  deliberately  say,  "God  do  so,  and 
more  also,  for  thou  shalt  surely  die,  Jonathan  "  ? 

But  "the  Divine  right  of  kings  to  govern  wrong"  is 
not  altogether  without  check.  A  temporary  revolution 
saved  Jonathan.  It  was  one  good  effect  of  excitement. 
In  calmer  circumstances,  the  people  might  have  been  too 
terrified  to  interfere.  But  now  they  were  excited — 
excited  by  their  victory,  excited  by  their  fast  followed 
by  their  meal,  and  excited  by  the  terror  of  harm  be- 
falling Jonathan.  They  had  far  clearer  and  more 
correct  apprehension  of  the  whole  circumstances  than 
the  king  had.  It  is  especially  to  be  noted  that  they 
laid  great  emphasis  on  the  fact  that  that  day  God  had 
worked  by  Jonathan,  and  Jonathan  had  worked  with 
God.  This  made  the  great  difference  between  him  and 
Saul.  "  As  the  Lord  liveth,  there  shall  not  one  hair  of 
his  head  fall  to  the  ground ;  for  he  hath  wrought  with 
God  this  day.  So  the  people  rescued  Jonathan,  that  he 
died  not." 

The  opportunity  of  inflicting  further  damage  on  the 
Philistines  at  this  time  was  thus  lost  through  the  moral 
obtuseness,  recklessness,  and  obstinacy  of  Saul.  But 
in  many  a  future  campaign  Saul  as  a  warrior  rendered 
great  service  to  the  kingdom.  He  fought  against  all 
his  enemies  on  every  side.  On  the  east,  the  Moabites, 
the  Ammonites,  and  the  Edomites  had  to  be  dealt  with  ; 


(tiv.  24-52.]  S A  errs    WILFULNESS.  239 

on  the  north,  the  kings  of  Z^bah  ;  on  the  south,  the 
Amalekites  ;  and  on  the  west,  the  PhiUstines.  These 
campaigns  are  briefly  stated,  but  we  may  easily  see 
how  much  of  hard  mihtary  work  is  implied  in  connec- 
tion with  each.  We  may  understand,  too,  with  what 
honesty  David,  in  his  elegy  over  Saul  and  Jonathan, 
might  commemorate  their  warlike  prowess  :  '^  From  the 
blood  of  the  slain,  from  the  fat  of  the  mighty,  the  bow 
of  Jonathan  turned  not  back,  and  the  sword  of  Saul 
returned  not  empty."  Whether  these  military  expe- 
ditions were  conducted  in  a  better  spirit  than  Saul 
shows  in  this  chapter  we  cannot  tell.  Whether  further 
proofs  were  given  of  God's  presence  with  Jonathan 
as  contrasted  with  his  absence  from  Saul  we  do  not 
know.  It  does  not  appear  that  there  was  any  essential 
improvement  in  Saul.  But  when  Jonathan  again 
emerges  from  the  obscurity  of  history,  and  is  seen  in  a 
clear  and  definite  light,  his  character  is  singularly  at- 
tractive— one  of  the  purest  and  brightest  in  the  whole 
field  of  Scripture. 

Evidently  the  military  spirit  ruled  in  Saul,  but  it  did 
not  bring  peace  nor  blessing  to  the  kingdom.  '^He 
gathered  an  host,"  surrounded  himself  with  a  standing 
army,  so  as  to  be  ready  and  have  an  excuse  for  any 
expedition  that  he  wished  to  undertake.  After  a  briet 
notice  of  Saul's  family,  the  chapter  ends  by  telHng  us 
that  "  there  was  sore  war  against  the  Philistines  all  the 
days  of  Saul ;  and  when  Saul  saw  any  strong  man  or 
any  valiant  man,  he  took  him  unto  him.''  The  Philis- 
tines were  far  from  being  permanently  subdued ;  there 
were  not  even  intervals  of  peace  between  the  two 
countries.  There  was  bitter  war,  an  open  sore, 
perpetually  bleeding,  a  terror  on  every  side,  never  re- 
moved.    How  different  it  might   have   been  had  that 


240  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL. 

one  day  been  better  spent !  how  different  it  would 
certainly  have  been  had  Saul  been  a  man  after  God's 
own  heart !  One  day's  misdeeds  may  bring  a  whole 
generation  of  sorrow,  for  "one  sinner  destroyeth 
much  good."  Once  off  the  right  rail,  Saul  never  got 
on  it  again  ;  rash  and  restless,  he  doubtless  involved 
his  people  in  many  a  disaster,  fulfilling  all  that  Samuel 
had  said  about  taking  from  the  people,  fulfilling  but 
little  that  the  people  had  hoped  concerning  deliverance 
from  the  hand  of  the  Philistines. 

Who  does  not  see  what  a  fearful  thing  it  is  to  leave 
Cod  and  His  ways,  and  give  one's  self  up  to  the 
impulses  of  one's  own  heart  ?  Fearful  for  even  the 
humblest  of  us,  but  infinitely  fearful  for  one  of  great  re- 
sources and  influence,  with  a  whole  people  under  him  ! 
How  beautiful  some  prayers  in  the  Psalms  sound  after 
we  have  been  contemplating  the  wild  career  of  Saul  ! 
"Show  me  Thy  ways,  O  Lord ;  teach  me  in  Thy  paths. 
Lead  me  in  Thy  truth  and  teach  me,  for  Thou  art  the 
God  of  my  salvation ;  on  Thee  do  I  wait  all  the  day." 
"  Oh  that  my  ways  were  directed  to  keep  Thy  statutes  I 
Then  shall  I  not  be  ashamed,  when  I  have  respect  unto 
all  Thy  commandments." 


CHAPTER    XXI. 

THE   FINAL   REJECTION  OF  SAUU 

I  Samuel  xv. 

HERE  we  find  the  second  portion  of  God's  indict- 
ment against  Saul,  and  the  reason  for  his  final 
rejection  from  the  office  to  which  he  had  been  raised. 
There  is  no  real  ground  for  the  assertion  of  some  critics 
that  in  this  book  we  have  two  accounts  of  Saul's  rejec- 
tion, contradictory  one  of  the  other,  because  a  different 
ground  is  asserted  for  it  in  the  one  case  from  that 
assigned  in  the  other.  The  first  rejection  (i  Sam.  xiii. 
13,  14)  was  the  rejection  of  his  house  as  the  per- 
manent dynasty  of  Israel,  but  it  did  not  imply  either 
that  S*ul  was  to  cease  to  reign,  or  that  God  was  to 
withdraw  all  countenance  and  co-operation  w^ith  him  as 
king.  The  rejection  we  read  of  in  the  present  chapter 
goes  further  than  the  first.  It  does  not  indeed  imply 
that  Saul  would  cease  to  reign,  but  it  does  imply  that 
God  would  no  longer  countenance  him  as  king,  would 
no  longer  make  him  his  instrument  of  deliverance 
and  blessing  to  Israel,  but  would  leave  him  to  the 
miserable  feeling  that  he  was  reigning  without  authority. 
More  than  that,  as  we  know  from  the  sequel,  it  implied 
that  God  was  about  to  bring  his  successor  forward,  and 
thereby  exhibit  both  to  him  and  to  the  nation  the  evi- 
dence of  his  degradation  and  rejection.     It  is  likely  that 

VOL.    I.  16 


242  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL, 

the  transactions  of  this  chapter  occurred  when  Saul's 
reign  was  far  advanced.  If  he  had  not  been  guilty  of 
fresh  disregard  of  God's  will,  though  David  would  still 
have  been  his  successor,  he  would  have  been  spared 
the  shame  and  misery  of  going  out  and  in  before  his 
people  like  one  who  bore  the  mark  of  Cain,  the  visible 
expression  of  the  Divine  displeasure. 

Throughout  the  whole  of  this  chapter,  God  appears 
in  that  more  stern  and  rigorous  aspect  of  His  character 
which  is  not  agreeable  to  the  natural  heart  of  man. 
Judgment,  we  are  told,  is  His  strange  work  ;  it  is  not 
what  He  delights  in ;  but  it  is  a  work  which  He  cannot 
fail  to  perform  when  the  necessity  for  it  arises.  There 
is  a  gospel  which  is  often  preached  in  our  day  that 
divests  God  wholly  of  the  rigid,  judicial  character;  it 
clothes  Him  with  no  attributes  but  those  of  kindness 
and  love ;  it  presents  Him  in  a  countenance  ever  smil- 
ing, never  stern.  It  maintains  that  the  great  work  o^ 
Christ  in  the  world  was  to  reveal  this  paternal  aspect  civ 
God's  character,  to  convince  men  of  His  fatherly  feel 
ings  towards  them,  and  to  divest  their  minds  of  al 
those  conceptions  of  indignation  and  wrath  with  whicl 
our  minds  are  apt  to  clothe  Him,  and  which  th( 
theologies  of  men  are  so  ready  to  foster.  But  this  is  i 
gospel  that  says.  Peace !  peace  !  when  there  is  no  peace. 
The  Gospel  of  Jesus  Christ  does  indeed  reveal,  and 
reveal  very  beautifully,  the  paternal  character  of  God ; 
but  it  reveals  at  the  same  time  that  judicial  character 
which  insists  on  the  execution  of  His  law.  That  God 
will  execute  wrath  on  the  impenitent  and  unbelieving  is 
just  as  much  a  feature  of  the  Gospel  as  that  He  will 
bestow  all  the  blessings  of  salvation  and  eternal  life  on 
them  that  believe.  What  the  Gospel  reveals  respecting 
the  sterner,  the  judicial,  aspect  of  God's  character  is, 


XV.]  THE  FINAL  REJECTION  OF  SAUL,  243 

that  there  is  no  bitterness  in  His  anger  against  sinners ; 
there  is  nothing  in  God's  breast  of  that  irritation  and 
impatience  which  men  are  so  apt  to  show  when  their 
fellow-men  have  offended  them ;  God's  anger  is  just. 
The  calm,  settled  opposition  of  His  nature  to  sin  is 
the  feeling  that  dictates  the  sentence  "The  soul  that 
sinneth,  it  shall  die."  The  Gospel  is  indeed  a  glorious 
manifestation  of  the  love  and  grace  of  God  for  sinners, 
but  it  is  not  an  indiscriminate  assurance  of  grace  for  all 
sinners ;  it  is  an  offer  of  grace  to  all  who  believe  on 
God's  Son,  but  it  is  an  essential  article  of  the  Gospel 
that  without  faith  in  Christ  the  saving  love  and  grace 
of  God  cannot  be  known.  Instead  of  reducing  the 
character  of  God  to  mere  good-nature,  the  Gospel 
brings  His  righteousness  more  prominently  forward 
than  ever ;  instead  of  smoothing  the  doom  of  the  im- 
penitent, it  deepens  their  guilt,  and  it  magnifies  their 
condemnation.  Yes,  my  friends,  and  it  is  most  whole- 
some for  us  all  to  look  at  times  steadily  in  the  face 
this  solemn  attribute  of  Gcd,  as  the  Avenger  of  the 
impenitent  It  shows  us  that  sin  is  not  a  thing  to  be 
trifled  with.  It  shows  us  that  God's  will  is  not  a  thing 
to  be  despised.  There  are  just  two  alternatives  for 
thee,  O  sinner,  who  art  not  making  God's  will  the  rule 
of  thy  life.  Repent,  believe,  and  be  forgiven ;  continue 
to  sin,  and  be  lost  for  ever. 

The  transaction  in  connection  with  which  Saul  was 
guilty  of  a  fresh  disregard  of  God's  will  was  an  expedi- 
tion which  was  appointed  for  him  against  the  Ama- 
lekites.  This  people  had  been  guilty  of  some  very 
atrocious  treatment  of  Israel  in  the  wilderness  of  Sinai, 
the  details  of  which  are  not  given.  Nations  having  a 
corporate  life,  when  they  continue  to  manifest  the 
spirit  of  preceding  generations,  are   held   responsible 


244  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL, 

for  their  actions,  and  liable  to  the  penalty.  Saul  was 
sent  to  inflict  on  Amalek  tlie  retribution  that  had  been 
due  so  long  for  his  perfidious  treatment  of  Israel  on  the 
way  to  Canaan.  In  the  narrative,  various  places  are 
mentioned  as  being  in  the  Amalekite  territory,  but 
their  exact  sites  are  not  known  ;  and  indeed  this  matters 
little,  all  that  it  is  important  to  know  being  that  the 
Amalekites  were  mainly  a  nomadic  people,  occupying 
the  fringe  between  Canaan  and  the  desert  on  the  south 
border  of  Palestine,  and  doubtless  subsisting  to  a  large 
extent  on  the  prey  secured  by  them  when  they  made- 
forays  into  the  territories  of  Israel.  Saul  gathered  a 
great  army  to  compass  the  destruction  of  this  bitter 
and  hostile  people. 

In  reading  of  the  instructions  he  received  to 
exterminate  them,  to  *'  slay  both  man  and  woman, 
infant  and  suckling,  ox  and  sheep,  camel  and  ass,"  we 
shudder  to  think  of  the  fearful  massacre  which  this 
involved.  It  was  an  order  similar  to  that  which  the 
Israelites  received  to  exterminate  the  inhabitants  of 
Canaan,  or  that  to  destroy  the  Midianites,  during  the 
lifetime  of  Moses.  Though  it  seems  very  horrible  to 
us,  in  whose  eyes  human  life  has  become  very  sacred, 
it  probably  excited  little  feeling  of  the  kind  in  the 
breasts  of  the  Israelites,  accustomed  as  they  were,  and 
as  all  Eastern  nations  were,  to  think  very  little  of  human 
life,  and  to  witness  wholesale  slaughter  with  little 
emotion.  But  there  is  one  thing  in  the  order  that  we 
must  not  overlook,  because  it  gave  a  complexion  to 
the  transaction  quite  different  from  that  of  ordinary 
massacres.  That  circumstance  was,  that  the  prey  was 
to  be  destroyed  as  well  as  the  people  In  the  case  of 
an  ordinary  massacre,  the  conquering  people  abandon 
themselves  to  the  licence  of  their  passions,  and  hasten 


xy.]  THE  FINAL   REJECTION  OF  SAUL,  245 

to  enrich  themselves  by  appropriating  everything 
of  value  on  which  they  can  lay  their  hands".  In  the 
case  of  the  Israelites,  there  was  to  be  nothing  of  the 
kind.  They  were  to  destroy  the  prey  just  as  thoroughly 
as  they  were  to  destroy  the  people.  They  were  to 
enrich  themselves  in  nothing.  Now,  this  was  a  most 
important  modification  of  the  current  practice  in  such 
things.  But  for  this  restriction,  the  extermination 
of  the  Amalekites  would  have  been  a  wild  carnival  of 
selfish  passion.  The  restriction  appointed  to  Saul,  like 
that  which  Joshua  had  imposed  at  Jericho,  bound  the 
people  to  the  most  rigid  self-restraint,  under  circum- 
stances when  self-restraint  was  extremely  difficult. 
The  extermination  was  to  be  carried  into  effect  with  all 
the  solemnity  of  a  judicial  execution,  and  the  soldiers 
were  to  have  no  benefit  from  it  whatever,  any  more 
than  the  jailer  or  the  hangman  can  have  benefit  from 
the  execution  of  some  wretched  murderer. 

Now,  let  it  be  observed  that  it  was  in  entirely 
disregarding  this  restriction  that  a  chief  part  of  Saul's 
disobedience  lay.  *'  Saul  and  the  people  spared  Agag, 
and  the  best  of  the  sheep,  and  of  the  oxen,  and  of  the 
fatlings  and  the  lambs,  and  all  that  was  good,  and 
would  not  utterly  destroy  them  ;  but  everything  that 
was  vile  and  refuse,  that  they  destroyed  utterly."  The 
sparing  of  King  Agag  seems  to  have  been  a  piece 
of  vanity  with  Saul,  for  a  conqueror  returning  home 
with  a  royal  prisoner  was  greatly  thought  of  in  those 
Eastern  lands.  But  the  sparing  of  the  prey  was  a 
matter  of  pure  greed.  Observe  how  the  character 
of  the  transaction  was  wholly  changed  by  this  circum- 
stance. Instead  of  wearing  the  aspect  of  a  solemn 
retribution  on  a  sinful  nation,  on  a  people  laden  with 
iniquity,  all  the  more  iniprf^siye  because  the  miaisters 


246  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL, 

of  God's  vengeance  abstained  from  appropriating  a 
vestige  of  the  property,  but  consigned  the  whole,  Uke  a 
plague-stricken  mass,  too  polluted  to  be  touched,  to  the 
furnace  of  destruction — instead  of  this,  it  just  ap- 
peared like  an  ordinary  unprincipled  foray,  in  which 
the  victorious  party  slew  the  other,  mainly  to  get  them 
out  of  the  way  and  enable  them  without  opposition  to 
appropriate  their  goods.  It  was  this  consideration  that 
made  the  offence  of  Saul  so  serious,  that  m.ade  his 
breach  of  the  Divine  order  so  guilty.  Had  he  no 
knowledge  of  the  history  of  his  people  ?  Did  he  not 
remember  what  had  happened  at  Jericho  in  the  days  of 
Joshua,  when  Achan  stole  the  wedge  of  gold  and  the 
Babylonian  garment,  and,  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  the 
rest  of  the  people  had  behaved  wxll  and  that  God's 
purpose  in  the  main  was  amply  carried  out,  Achan  and 
all  his  family  were  judicially  stoned  to  death  ?  How 
could  Saul  expect  that  such  a  flagrant  violation  of  the 
Divine  command  in  the  case  of  the  Amalekites, 
perpetrated  not  on  the  sly  by  a  single  individual,  but 
openly  by  the  king  and  all  the  people,  could  escape  the 
retribution  of  God  ? 

Such  then  was  Saul's  conduct  in  the  affair  of 
Amalek.  The  next  incident  in  the  narrative  is  the 
communication  that  took  place  regarding  it  between  the 
Lord  and  Samuel.  Speaking  after  the  manner  of  men, 
God  said.  It  repented  Him  that  He  had  set  up  Saul  to 
be  king.  That  these  words  are  not  to  be  explained  in 
a  strictly  literal  sense  is  evident  from  what  is  said  in 
ver.  29 :  "  The  strength  of  Israel  will  not  lie  nor 
repent,  for  He  is  not  a  man  that  He  should  repent." 
The  intimation  to  Samuel  was  equivalent  to  this  :  that 
God  was  now  done  witn  Saul.  He  had  been  weighed 
in   the    balances   and   found   wanting.      He   had    hac| 


XV.]  TIJE   FINAL   REJECTION  OF  SAUL,  247 

his  time  of  probation,  and  he  had  failed.  He  was 
joined  to  his  idols,  and  must  now  be  let  alone.  This 
last  and  very  flagrant  act  of  disobedience  settled  the 
matter.  "  My  Spirit  shall  not  always  strive  with 
man." 

How  did  Samuel  receive  the  announcement  ?  "It 
grieved  Samuel,  and  he  cried  to  the  Lord  all  night.'' 
It  is  the  same  word  as  is  translated  in  Jonah,  "  It  dis- 
pleased Jonah."  But  there  is  nothing  to  show  that 
Samuel  was  displeased  with  God.  The  whole  trans- 
action was  disappointing,  worrying,  heart-breaking. 
Doubtless  he  had  a  certain  liking  for  Saul.  He  admired 
his  splendid  figure  and  many  fine  kingly  qualities.  It 
was  a  terrible  struggle  to  give  him  up.  The  Divine 
announcement  threw  Jiis  mind  into  a  tumult.  All  night 
he  cried  unto  the  Lord.  Doubtless  his  cry  was  some- 
what similar  to  our  Lord's  cry  in  Gethsemane,  "  If  it  be 
possible,  let  this  cup  pass."  If  it  be  possible,  recover 
Saul.  And  observe,  Samuel  had  good  cause  to  raise 
this  cry  on  account  of  the  man  who  would  naturally  have 
been  Saul's  successor.  He  must  have  had  great  compla- 
cency in  Jonathan.  If  Saul  was  to  be  set  aside,  wh}' 
should  not  Jonathan  have  the  crown  ?  On  whose  head 
would  it  sit  more  gracefully  ?  In  whose  hand  would 
the  sceptre  be  held  more  suitably  ?  But  even  this  plea 
would  not  avail.  It  was  God's  purpose  to  mark  the 
offence  of  Saul  with  a  deeper  stigma,  and  attach  to  it  in 
the  mind  of  the  nation  a  more  conspicuous  brand,  by 
cutting  off  his  whole  family  and  transferring  the  crown 
to  a  quite  different  line.  It  took  the  whole  night  to 
reconcile  Samuel  to  the  Divine  sentence.  How  very 
deeply  and  tenderly  must  this  man's  heart  have  been 
moved  by  regard  for  Saul  and  for  the  people !  In  the 
morning,  his  soul  seems  to  have  »*eturned  to  its  quiet 


24S  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL, 

rest.     His  mood  seems  now  to  have  been,   '^  Not  my 
will  but  Thine  be  done!" 

Next  comes  the  meeting  of  Saul  and  Samuel.  Samuel 
seems  to  have  expected  to  meet  Saul  at  Carmel — the 
Carmel  of  Nabal  (chap.  xxv.  2) — but,  perhaps  on 
purpose  to  avoid  him,  Saul  hastened  to  Gilgal.  And 
when  they  met  there,  Saul,  with  no  little  audacity,  claimed 
to  have  performed  the  commandment  of  the  Lord.  That 
this  plea  was  not  advanced  in  simple  ignorance,  as  some 
have  thought,  is  plain  enough  from  Samuel's  reception 
of  it  and  his  rebuke.  "What  meaneth  this  bleating 
( f  sheep  in  mane  ears  and  the  lowing  of  the  oxen  in 
my  ears  ?  "  Facts  are  stubborn  things,  and  they  make 
-cjiuick  work  of  sophistry.  Oh,  says  Saul,  these  are 
brought  as  a  sacrifice  to  the  Lord  thy  God ;  they  are  an 
extra  proof  of  my  loyalty  to  Him.  Saul,  Saul,  is  it  not 
enough  that  thou  didst  allow  the  selfish  greed  whether 
of  thyself  or  of  thy  people  to  overbear  the  Divine 
command  ?  Must  thou  add  the  sin  of  hypocrisy, 
and  pretend  that  it  was  a  pious  act  ?  And  dost  thou 
imagine  that  in  so  doing  thou  canst  impose  either  on 
Samuel,  or  on  God  ?  O  sinners,  you  do  miscalculate 
fearfully  when  you  give  to  God's  servants  such  false 
explanations  of  your  sins !  How  long,  think  you,  will 
the  flimsy  material  hold  out?  In  the  case  of  Saul,  it 
did  not  even  enable  him  to  turn  the  corner.  It  brought 
out  a  fact  which  he  must  have  trembled  to  hear :  that 
Samuel  had  had  a  communication  about  him  from  God 
the  very  night  before,  and  that  God  had  spoken  very 
plainly  about  him,,  And  what  had  God  said  ?  God  had 
proceeded  on  the  fact  that  Saul  had  disobeyed  his  voice, 
and  had  flown  upon  the  spoil  to  preserve  what  God 
had  commanded  him  to  destroy.  "Nay,"  says  Saul,  "it 
was  not  I  that  did  that,  but  the  people,  and  they  did  it 


)cv.]  THE  FIVAL   REJECTIOy  OF  SAUL.  249 

to  sacrifice  to  the  Lord  thy  God  in  Gilgal."  Tno  excuse 
hardly  needed  to  be  exposed.  Why  did  you  let  the 
people  do  so  ?  Why  did  you  not  fulfil  God's  command 
as  faithfully  as  Joshua  did  at  Jericho  ?  Why  did  you 
allow  yourself,  or  the  people  either,  to  tamper  with  the 
clear  orders  given  you  by  your  King  and  theirs  ? 
^* Behold,  to  obey  is  better  than  sacrifice,  and  to  hearken 
than  the  fat  of  rams."  Moral  conduct  is  more  than 
ceremonial  form.  ''  Because  thou  hast  rejected  the 
word  of  the  Lord,  He  also  hath  rejected  thee  from 
being  king." 

This  terrible  word  pierces  Saul  to  the  quick.  He  is 
thoroughly  alarmed.  He  makes  acknowledgment  of  his 
sin  in  so  far  as  he  had  feared  the  people  and  obeyed 
their  words.  He  entreats  Samuel  to  forgive  him  and 
turn  again  with  him  that  he  m.ay  worship  God.  He 
shows  no  evidence  of  true,  heartfelt  repentance.  And 
Samuel  refuses  to  return  with  him,  and  refuses  to 
identify  himself  with  one  whom  God  hath  rejected  from 
being  king.  But  Saul  is  deeply  in  earnest.  He  tries 
to  detain  Samuel  by  force.  He  takes  hold  of  his 
mantle,  and  holds  it  so  firmly  that  it  rends.  It  is  a 
symbol,  says  Samuel,  of  the  rending  of  the  kingdom 
of  Israel  from  thee  this  day,  to  be  given  by  God  to  a 
neighbour  of  thine  that  is  better  than  thou.  And  this 
is  God's  irreversible  sentence.  Your  day  of  grace  is 
expired,  and  the  Divine  sentence  is  beyond  recall.  One 
more  appeal  does  Saul  make  to  Samuel.  Again  he 
owns  his  sin,  but  the  request  he  makes  shows  clearly 
that  what  he  is  most  anxious  about  is  that  he  should 
not  appear  dishonoured  before  the  people.  It  is  his 
own  reputation  that  concerns  him.  "  Honour  me  now, 
I  pray  thee,  before  the  elders  of  my  people  and  before 
Israel  and  turn  again  with  me,  that  I  may  worship  the 


250  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL, 

Lord  thy  God."  Samuel  yields.  The  abject  wretched- 
ness of  the  man  seems  to  have  touched  him.  But  it 
is  not  said  that  Samuel  worshipped  with  him.  Samuel 
would  no  doubt  continue  firm  to  his  purpose  not  to 
identify  himself  with  Saul  as  king,  or  give  him  an}' 
moral  support  in  his  attitude  of  disobedience.  So  far 
from  that,  Samuel  openly  superseded  him  in  deal- 
ing with  Agag;  he  went  out  of  his  way,  and  did  an 
act  which  could  not  but  appear  a  frightful  one  for  a 
venerable  prophet  of  the  Lord.  It  is  the  voice  of  the 
real  king  that  sounds  in  the  command,  "Bring  ye 
hither  to  me  Agag,  the  king  of  the  Amalekites."  We 
seem  to  see  the  royal  prisoner  advancing  cringingly 
before  that  imperial  figure,  in  whose  eye  there  is  a  look, 
and  in  whose  face  and  figure  there  is  a  determination, 
that  may  well  make  him  quail.  *' Surely,"  says  Agag, 
imploringly,  "  the  bitterness  of  death  is  past."  Spared 
by  the  king,  I  am  not  to  fare  worse  from  the  prophet. 
Samuel  knew  him  a  merciless  destroyer.  ^'  As  thy 
sword  hath  made  women  childless,  so  shall  thy  mother 
be  childless  among  women."  And  Samuel  hewed  Agag 
in  pieces  before  the  Lord  in  Gilgal.  ''Cursed  be  he 
that  doeth  the  work  of  God  deceitfully,  and  cursed  be 
he  that  withholdeth  his  sword  from  shedding  of  blood." 
It  is  a  scene  of  terror.  The  swift  retribution  executed 
on  the  one  king  was  but  the  sign  of  the  slower  retribu- 
tion pronounced  upon  the  other.  In  the  one  case  the 
doom  was  rapid;  in  the  other  it  was  deferred;  in  both  it 
was  sure.  And  have  we  not  here  a  sad  picture  of  that 
retribution  which  is  sure  to  come  on  the  impenitent 
shmer,  and  in  the  procedure  of  Samuel  a  foreshadowing 
of  Him  who  cometh  from  Edom,  with  dyed  garments 
from  Bozrah,  who  will  one  day  speak  to  His  enemies 
in  His  wrath  and  vex   them  in  His  hot  displeasure  ? 


XV.]  THE  FINAL  REJECTION  OF  SAUL,  251 

Have  we  not  here  a  foretaste  of  the  opening  of  the  sixth 
seal,  when  the  kings  of  the  earth,  and  the  great  men, 
and  the  rich  men,  and  the  chief  captains,  and  the  mighty 
men,  shall  say  to  the  mountains  and  rocks.  Fall  on  us, 
and  hide  us  from  the  face  of  Him  that  sitteth  on  the 
throne,  and  from  the  wrath  of  the  Lamb  :  for  the  great 
day  oj  His  wrath  is  come;  and  who  shall  he  able  to 
stand''? 

And  oh !  how  little  in  that  day  will  those  plausible 
excuses  avail  with  which  men  try  to  cover  their  sins 
to  themselves,  and  it  may  be  to  others.  How  will 
the  hail  sweep  away  the  refuges  of  lies  !  How  will  the 
real  character  of  men's  hearts,  the  true  tenor  of  their 
lives,  in  respect  they  have  set  aside  God's  will  and  set 
up  their  own,  be  revealed  in  characters  that  cannot  be 
mistaken  !  The  question  to  be  determined  by  your  lite 
was,  whether  God  or  you  was  King.  Which  did  you 
obey,  God's  will  or  your  own  ?  Did  you  set  aside 
God's  will?  Then  you  are  certainly  a  rebel;  and  never 
having  repented,  never  having  been  washed,  or  sanctified, 
or  justified,  your  portion  is  with  the  rebels;  the  Father's 
house  is  not  for  you  1 

And  now  the  breach  between  Samuel  and  Saul  is 
final.  ^'Samuel  came  no  more  to  visit  Saul  until  the 
day  of  his  death;  nevertheless  Samuel  mourned  for 
Saul;  and  the  Lord  repented  that  He  had  made  Saul 
king  over  Israel." 

Saul  is  cut  off  now  from  his  best  means  of  grace — 
he  is  virtually  an  excommunicated  man.  Was  it  hard  ? 
Do  our  sympathies  in  any  degree  go  with  him  ?  To 
our  compassion  he  is  entitled  in  the  highest  degree,  but 
to  nothing  more.  Saul's  worst  qualities  had  now  become 
petrified.  His  wilfulness,  his  selfishness,  his  passion- 
ateness,  his  jealousy,  had   now  got  complete  control, 


252  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL. 

nor  could  their  current  be  turned  aside.  The  threat 
of  losing  his  kingdom — perhaps  the  most  terrible  threat 
such  a  man  could  have  felt — had  failed  to  turn  him  from 
his  wayward  course.  He  was  like  the  man  in  the  iron 
cage  in  the  ''Pilgrim's  Progress,"  who  gave  his  history: 
"  I  left  off  to  watch  and  be  sober ;  I  laid  the  reins  upon 
the  neck  of  my  lusts;  I  sinned  against  the  light  of  the 
word  and  the  goodness  of  God ;  I  have  grieved  the 
Spirit  and  He  is  gone;  I  tempted  the  devil,  and  he  is 
come  to  me ;  I  have  provoked  God  to  anger  and  He  has 
left  me;  I  have  so  hardened  my  heart  that  I  cannot 
repent." 

It  is  a  terrible  lesson  that  comes  to  us  from  the  career 
of  Saul.  If  our  natural  lusts  are  not  under  the  restraint 
of  a  higher  power;  if  by  that  power  we  are  not 
trained  to  watch,  and  check,  and  overpower  them ;  if  we 
allow  them  to  burst  all  restraint  and  lord  it  over  us  as 
they  will, — then  will  they  grow  into  so  many  tyrants, 
who  will  rule  us  with  rods  of  iron  ;  laugh  at  the  feeble 
remonstrances  of  cur  conscience;  scoff  at  every  mes- 
senger of  God  ;  vex  His  Holy  Spirit,  and  hurl  us  at  last 
to  everlasting  woe  I 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

DAVID  ANOINTED   BY  SAMUEL, 
I  Samuel  xvi.  1-13. 

THE  rejection  of  Saul  was  laid  very  deeply  to  heart 
by  Samuel.  No  doubt  there  many  engaging 
qualities  in  the  man  Saul,  which  Samuel  could  not  but 
remember,  and  which  fed  the  flame  of  personal  attach- 
ment, and  made  the  fact  of  his  rejection  hard  to  digest. 
And  no  doubt,  too,  Samuel  was  concerned  for  the 
peace  and  prosperity  of  the  nation.  He  knew  that  a 
change  of  dynasty  commonly  meant  civil  war — it  might 
lead  to  the  inward  weakening  of  a  kingdom  already 
weak  enough,  and  its  exposure  to  the  attacks  of  hostile 
neighbours  that  watched  with  lynx  eyes  for  any 
opportunity  of  dashing  against  Israel.  Thus  both  on 
personal  and  on  pubHc  grounds  the  rejection  of  Saul 
was  a  great  grief  to  Samuel,  especially  as  the  rejection 
of  Saul  implied  the  rejection  of  Jonathan,  and  the 
prophet  might  ask,  with  no  small  reason,  where,  in  all 
the  nation,  could  there  be  found  a  better  successor. 

It  was  not  God's  pleasure  to  reveal  to  Samuel  the 
tragic  events  that  were  to  stretch  Jonathan  and  his 
brothers  among  the  dead  on  the  same  day  as  their 
father;  but  it  was  His  pleasure  to  introduce  him  to  the 
man  who,  at  a  future  time,  was  to  rule  Israel  according 
to  the  ideal  which  the  prophet  had  vainly  endeavoured 


254  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL, 


to  press  upon  Saul.  There  is  a  sharpness  in  God's 
expostulation  with  Samuel  which  implies  that  the 
prophet's  grief  for  Saul  was  carried  to  an  excessive 
and  therefore  sinful  length.  "How  long  wilt  thou 
mourn  for  Saul,  seeing  I  have  rejected  him  from 
reigning  over  Israel?"  Grief  on  account  of  others 
seems  such  a  sacred,  such  a  holy  feeling,  that  we  are 
not  ready  to  apprehend  the  possibility  of  its  acquiring 
the  dark  hue  of  sin.  Yet  if  God's  children  abandon 
themselves  to  the  wildest  excess  for  some  sorrow  which 
bears  to  them  the  character  of  a  fatherly  chastening ; 
if  they  refuse  to  give  effect  in  any  way  to  God's 
purpose  in  the  matter,  and  to  the  gracious  ends  which 
He  designs  it  to  serve,  they  are  guilty  of  sin,  and 
that  sin  one  which  is  greatly  dishonouring  to  God. 
It  can  never  be  right  to  shut  God  out  of  view  in  con- 
nection with  our  sorrows,  or  to  forget  that  the  day 
is  coming — impossible  though  it  may  seem — when  His 
character  shall  be  so  vindicated  in  all  that  has  happened 
to  His  children,  that  all  tears  shall  be  wiped  from  their 
eyes,  and  it  shall  be  seen  that  His  tender  mercies  have 
been  over  all  His  works. 

It  was  to  Bethlehem,  and  to  the  family  of  Jesse, 
that  Samuel  was  to  go  to  find  the  destined  successor  of 
Saul.  The  place  was  not  so  far  distant  from  Ramah 
as  to  be  quite  beyond  the  sphere  of  Samuel's  acquaint- 
ance. Of  Jesse,  one  of  the  leading  men  of  the  place, 
he  would  probably  have  at  least  a  general  knowledge, 
though  it  is  plain  he  had  not  any  personal  acquaint- 
ance with  him,  or  knowledge  of  his  family.  Bethlehem 
had  already  acquired  a  marked  place  in  Hebrew  history, 
and  Samuel  could  not  have  been  ignorant  of  the 
episode  of  the  young  Moabite  widow  who  had  given 
such  a  beautiful  proof  of  filial  piety,  and  among  whose 


XVI.  1-13.]        DAVID  ANOINTED  BY  SAMUEL,  255 


descendants  Jesse  and  his  sons  were  numbered.  The 
very  name  of  Bethlehem  was  fitted  to  recall  how  God 
honours  those  that  honour  Him,  and  might  have 
rebuked  that  outburst  of  fear  which  fell  from  Samuel, 
whose  first  thought  was  that  he  could  not  go,  because 
if  Saul  heard  of  it  he  would  kill  him.  Well,  it  is 
plain  enough  that,  with  all  his  glorious  qualities  as  a 
prophet,  Samuel  was  but  a  man,  subject  to  the  infir- 
mities of  men.  What  an  honest  book  the  Bible  is  !  its 
greatest  heroes  coming  down  so  often  to  the  human  level 
and  showing  the  same  weaknesses  as  ourselves  !  But 
God,  who  stoops  to  human  weakness,  who  fortified  the 
failing  heart  of  Moses  at  the  burning  bush,  and  the 
doubting  heart  of  Gideon,  and  afterwards  the  wear}' 
heart  of  Elijah  and  the  trembling  heart  of  Jeremiah, 
condescends  in  like  manner  to  the  infirmity  of  Samuel, 
and  provides  him  with  an  ostensible  object  for  his 
journey,  which  was  not  fitted  to  awaken  the  jealous 
temper  of  the  king.  Samuel  is  to  announce  that  his 
coming  to  Bethlehem  is  for  the  purpose  of  a  sacrifice, 
and  the  circumstances  connected  with  the  anointing  of 
a  successor  to  Saul  are  to  be  gone  about  so  quietly  and 
so  vaguely  that  the  great  object  of  his  visit  will  hardly 
be  so  much  as  guessed  by  any. 

The  question  has  often  been  raised,  Was  this 
diplomatic  arrangement  not  objectionable?  Was  it 
not  an  act  of  duplicity  and  deceit?  Undoubtedly 
it  was  an  act  of  concealment,  but  it  does  not  follow 
that  it  was  an  act  of  duplicity.  It  was  concealment 
of  a  thing  which  Samuel  was  under  no  obligation  to 
divulge.  It  was  not  concealment  of  which  the  object 
was  to  mislead  any  one,  or  to  induce  any  one  to  do 
what  he  would  not  have  done  had  the  whole  truth  been 
known   to   him.     When   concealment   is   practised   in 


256  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL. 

order  to  take  an  unfair  advantage  of  any  one,  or  to 
secure  an  unworthy  advantage  over  him,  it  is  a  de- 
testable crime.  But  to  conceal  what  you  are  under  no 
obligation  to  reveal,  when  some  important  end  is  to  be 
gained,  is  a  quite  different  thing.  "  It  is  the  glory  of 
God  to  conceal  a  thing;"  providence  is  often  just  a 
vast  web  of  concealment ;  the  trials  of  Job  were  the 
fruit  of  Divine  concealment ;  the  answers  of  our  Lord 
to  the  Syrophoenician  woman  were  a  concealment ;  the 
delay  in  going  to  Bethany  when  He  heard  of  the  illness 
of  Lazarus  was  just  a  concealment  of  the  glorious 
miracle  which  He  intended  by-and-bye  to  perform.  One 
may  tell  the  truth,  and  yet  not  the  whole  truth,  without 
being  guilty  of  any  injustice  or  dishonesty.  It  was  not 
on  Saul's  account  at  ail  that  Samuel  was  sent  to  anoint 
a  king  at  Bethlehem.  It  was  partly  on  Samuel's 
account  and  partly  on  David's.  If  David  was  here- 
after to  fill  the  exalted  office  of  king  of  Israel,  it  was 
desirable  that  he  should  be  trained  for  its  duties  from 
his  earliest  years.  Saul  had  not  been  called  to  the 
throne  till  middle  life,  till  his  character  had  been 
formed  and  his  habits  settled;  the  next  king  must  be 
called  at  an  earlier  period  of  life.  And  though  the 
boy's  father  and  brothers  may  not  understand  the  full 
nature  of  the  distinction  before  him,  they  must  be  made 
to  understand  that  he  is  called  to  a  very  special  service 
of  God,  in  order  that  they  may  give  him  up  freely  and 
readily  to  such  preparation  as  that  service  demands. 
This  seems  to  have  been  the  chief  reason  of  the 
mission  of  Samuel  to  Bethlehem.  It  could  not  but  be 
known  after  that,  that  David  was  to  be  distinguished 
as  a  servant  of  God,  but  no  idea  seems  to  have  been 
conveyed  either  to  his  brothers  or  to  the  elders  of 
Bethlehem   that  he  was  going  to  be  king. 


xvi.  t-i3.]        DAVID  ANOINTED  BY  SAMUEL,  ^57 

The  arrangements  for  the  public  worship  of  God  in 
those  times — while  the  ark  of  God  was  still  at  Kirjath- 
jearim — seem  to  have  been  far  from  regular,  and  it 
appears  to  have  been  not  unusual  for  Samuel  to  visit 
particular  places  for  the  purpose  of  offering  a  sacrifice. 
It  would  seem  that  the  ordinary,  though  not  the  uniform, 
occasion  for  such  visits  was  the  occurrence  of  something 
blameworthy  in  the  community,  and  if  so  this  will 
explain  the  terror  of  the  elders  of  Bethlehem  at  the  visit 
of  Samuel,  and  their  friglitened  question,  "Comest  thou 
peaceably  ?  "  Happily  Samuel  was  able  to  set  their 
fears  at  rest,  and  to  assure  them  that  the  object  of  his 
visit  was  entirely  peaceable.  It  was  a  religious  service 
he  was  come  to  perform,  such  a  service  as  may  have 
been  associated  with  the  other  religious  services  he  was 
accustomed  to  hold  as  he  went  round  in  circuit  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  Ramah.  For  this  sacrifice  the  elders 
of  Bethlehem  were  called  to  sanctify  themselves,  as 
were  also  Jesse  and  his  sons.  They  were  to  take  the 
usual  steps  for  freeing  themselves  of  all  ceremonial 
uncleanness,  and  after  the  sacrifice  they  were  to  share 
the  feast.  A  considerable  interval  would  necessarily 
elapse  between  the  sacrifice  and  the  feast,  for  the 
available  portions  of  the  animal  had  to  be  prepared  for 
food,  and  roasted  on  the  fire.  It  was  during  this  interval 
that  Samuel  made  acquaintance  with  the  sons  of  Jesse. 
First  came  the  handsome  and  stately  Eliab.  And  srange 
it  is  that  even  with  the  fate  of  the  handsome  and  stately 
Saul  full  in  his  memory,  Samuel  leapt  to  the  conclusion 
that  this  was  the  Lord's  anointed.  Could  he  wonder 
at  God's  emphatic  No  I  Surely  he  had  seen  enough 
of  outward  appearance  coupled  with  inward  unfitness. 
One  trial  of  that  criterion  had  been  enough  for  Israel. 

But  alas,  it  is  not  merely  in  the  choice  of  kings  that 

VOL.    I.  17 


2S8  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL. 

men  are  apt  to  show  their  readiness  to  rest  in  the 
outward  appearance.  To  what  an  infinite  extent  has 
this  tendency  been  carried  in  the  worship  of  God  ! 
Let  everything  be  outwardly  correct,  the  church  beau- 
tiful, the  music  excellent,  the  sermon  able,  the  con- 
gregation numerous  and  respectable — what  a  pattern 
such  a  church  is  often  regarded  1  Alas  !  how  little 
satisfactory  it  may  be  to  God.  The  eye  that  searches 
and  knows  us  penetrates  to  the  heart, — it  is  there  only 
that  God  finds  the  genuine  elements  of  worship.  The 
lowly  sense  of  personal  unworthiness,  the  wondering 
contemplation  of  the  Divine  love,  the  eager  longing 
for  mercy  to  pardon  and  grace  to  help,  the  faith  that 
grasps  the  promises,  the  hope  that  is  anchored  within 
the  veil,  the  kindness  that  breathes  benediction  all 
round,  the  love  that  beareth  all  things,  believeth  all 
things,  hopeth  all  things,  endureth  all  things, — it  is  these 
things,  breathing  forth  from  the  hearts  of  a  congrega- 
tion, that  give  pleasure  to  God. 

Or  look  at  what  often  happens  in  secular  life.  See 
how  intensely  eager  some  are  about  appearances. 
Why,  it  is  one  of  the  stereotyped  rules  of  society  that 
it  is  necessary  "  to  keep  up  appearances."  Well-born 
people  may  have  become  poor,  very  poor,  but  they 
must  live  to  outward  appearance  as  if  they  were  rich. 
Between  rivals  there  may  be  a  deadly  jealousy,  but 
they  must,  by  courtesy,  keep  up  the  form  of  friendship. 
And  in  trade  a  substantial  appearance  must  be  given 
to  goods  that  are  really  worthless.  And  often,  men 
who  are  really  mean  and  unprincipled  must  pose  as 
persons  very  particular  about  the  right  and  very 
indignant  at  the  wrong.  And  some,  meaner  than  the 
common,  must  put  on  the  cloak  of  religion,  and  establish 
a  character  for  sanctity. 


»vi.  i-i^]        DAVID  ANOINTED  BY  SAMUEL,  25$ 

The  world  is  full  of  idolatries,  but  I  question  if  any 
idolatry  has  been  more  extensively  practised  than  the 
idolatry  of  the  outward  appearance.  If  tliere  be  less 
of  this  in  our  day  than  perhaps  a  generation  back, 
it  is  because  in  these  days  of  sifting  and  trial  men 
have  learned  in  so  many  ways  by  hard  experience 
what  a  delusion  it  is  to  lean  on  such  a  broken  reed. 
Yes,  and  we  have  had  men  among  us  who  from  a 
point  of  view  not  directly  Christian  have  exposed  the 
shams  and  counterfeits  of  the  age, — men  like  Carlyle, 
who  have  sounded  against  them  a  trumpet  blast  which 
has  been  echoed  and  re-echoed  round  the  very  globe. 
But  surely  we  do  not  need  to  go  outside  the  Bible  for 
this  great  lesson.  "  Thou  desirest  truth  in  the  inward 
parts,  and  in  the  hidden  part  Thou  shalt  make  me  to 
know  wisdom  ;"  "If  I  regard  iniquity  in  my  heart,  the 
Lord  will  not  hear  me."  Or  if  we  pass  to  the  New 
Testament,  what  is  the  great  lesson  of  the  parable  of 
the  Publican  and  the  Pharisee  ?  The  Publican  was  a 
genuine  man,  an  honest,  humble,  self-emptied  sinner. 
The  Pharisee  was  a  silly  puffed-up  pretender.  The 
world  seems  to  think  that  all  high  profession  must  be 
hollow.  I  need  not  say  that  such  an  opinion  is  utterly 
untenable.  The  world  would  have  you  profess  nothing, 
lest  you  should  not  come  up  to  it.  Christ  says, 
"  Abide  in  Me,  so  shall  ye  bear  much  fruit."  It  was 
on  this  principle  that  St.  Paul  professed  so  much  and 
did  so  much.  '^  The  life  that  I  live  in  the  flesh,  I  live 
by  the  faith  of  the  Son  of  God,  who  loved  me  and  gave 
Himself  for  me." 

There  is  nothing  to  be  said  of  the  other  sons  of  Jesse. 
Only  the  youngest  one  remained,  apparently  too  young  to 
be  at  the  feast ;  he  was  in  the  field,  keeping  the  sheep. 
"And  Jesse  sent  and  brought  him  in.     Now  he  was 


26o  THE  FIRST  BOOK   OF  SAMUEL, 

ruddy,  and  withal  of  a  beautiful  countenance  "  {ntarg. 
eyes),  *'and  goodly  to  look  to.  And  the  Lord  said, 
Arise,  anoint  him,  for  this  is  he."  Though  goodly 
to  look  at  he  was  too  young,  too  boyish  to  be  preferred 
on  the  score  of  "outward  appearance."  It  was  qualities 
unseen,  and  as  yet  but  little  developed,  that  commended 
him.  Greatly  astonished  must  Jesse  and  his  other 
sons  have  been  to  see  Samuel  pouring  on  the  ruddy 
stripling  the  holy  oil,  and  anointing  him  for  whatever 
the  office  might  be.  But  it  has  often  been  God's  way 
to  find  His  agents  in  unexpected  places.  Here  a 
great  king  is  found  in  the  sheepfold.  In  Joseph's  time 
a  prime  minister  of  Egypt  was  found  in  the  prison. 
Our  Lord  found  His  chief  apostle  in  the  school  of 
Gamaliel.  The  great  Reformer  of  the  sixteenth  century 
was  found  in  a  poor  miner's  cottage.  God  is  never 
at  a  loss  for  agents,  and  if  the  men  fail  that  might 
naturally  have  been  looked  for  to  do  Him  service 
substitutes  for  them  are  not  far  to  seek.  Out  of  the 
very  stones  He  can  raise  up  children  to  Abraham. 

But  it  was  not  a  mere  arbitrary  arrangement  that 
David  should  have  been  a  shepherd  before  he  was 
king.  There  were  many  things  in  the  one  employment 
that  prepared  the  way  for  the  other.  In  the  East 
the  shepherd  had  higher  rank  and  a  larger  sphere  of 
duties  than  is  common  with  us.  The  duties  of  the 
shepherd,  to  watch  over  his  flock,  to  feed  and  protect 
them,  to  heal  the  sick,  bind  up  the  broken,  and  bring 
again  that  which  was  driven  away,  corresponded  to 
those  which  the  faithful  and  gcdly  ruler  owed  to  the 
people  committed  to  his  sceptre.  It  was  from  the 
time  of  David  that  the  shepherd  phraseology  began  to 
be  applied  to  rulers  and  their  people ;  and  we  hardly 
carry  away  the  full  lesson  that  the  prophets  intended 


xvi.  I-I3]        DAVID  ANOINTED   BY  SAMUEL.  z6l 


to  teach  in  their  denunciations  of  "  the  sh-iplierds  that 
fed  themselves  and  not  the  flock  "  when  we  apply  these 
exclusively  to  the  shepherds  of  souls.  So  appropriate 
was  the  emblem  of  the  shepherd  for  denoting  the 
right  spirit  and  character  of  rulers,  that  it  was 
ultimately  appropriated  in  a  very  high  and  peculiar 
sense  to  the  person  and  office  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 
But  long  ere  he  appeared  King  David  had  familiarised 
men's  minds  with  the  kind  of  benefits  that  flow  from 
the  sceptre  of  a  shepherd-ruler — the  kind  of  blessings 
that  were  to  flow  in  their  fulness  from  Christ.  Never 
did  he  write  a  more  expressive  word  than  this,  "  The 
Lord  is  my  shepherd,  I  shall  not  want."  On  the 
groundwork  of  his  own  earthly  kingdom  he  had 
drawn  the  pattern  of  things  in  heavenly  places,  for 
describing  which  in  after  times  no  language  could  be 
found  more  suitable  than  that  borrowed  from  his  first 
occupation. 

But  in  full  harmony  with  the  character  of  Old 
Testament  typology,  the  glory  of  the  thing  symbolized 
was  infinitely  greater  than  the  glory  of  the  symbol. 
Much  though  the  nation  owed  to  the  godly  administra- 
tion of  him  whom  God  *'  took  from  the  sheepfold,  and 
brought  from  following  the  ewes  great  with  young,  to 
feed  Jacob  His  people  and  Israel  His  inheritance,"  these 
benefits  were  shadows  indeed  when  compared  with  the 
blessings  procured  by  the  great  "  Shepherd  of  Israel," 
"  the  good  Shepherd  that  giveth  His  life  for  the  sheep," 
whose  shepherd  care  does  not  terminate  with  the  life 
that  now  is,  but  will  be  exercised  in  eternity  in  feeding 
them  and  leading  them  by  living  fountains  of  water, 
where  God  shall  wipe  away  all  tears  from  their  eyes. 

There  are  other  points  of  typical  resemblance  between 
David  and  Christ  that  demand  our  notice  here.     If  it 


262  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL, 

was  a  strange- like  thing  for  God  to  find  the  model 
king  of  Israel  in  a  sheepcot  at  Bethlehem,  it  was  still 
more  so  to  find  the  Saviour  of  the  world  in  a  workshop 
at  Nazareth.  But  again  ;  King  David  was  chosen  for 
qualities  that  did  not  fall  in  with  the  ordinary  concep- 
tion of  what  was  king-like,  but  qualities  that  commended 
him  to  God  ;  and  in  the  same  manner  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  God's  Elect,  in  whom  His  soul  delighted,  was 
not  marked  by  those  attributes  which  men  might  have 
considered  suitable  in  one  who  was  to  gain  the  empire 
of  the  world.  "  He  shall  grow  up  as  a  tender  plant, 
and  as  a  root  out  of  a  dry  ground  ;  He  hath  no  form 
nor  comeliness,  and  when  we  shall  see  Him  there  is 
no  beauty  that  we  should  desire  Him."  In  bodily 
form  the  Lord  Jesus  would  seem  to  have  resembled 
David  rather  than  Saul.  There  is  no  reason  to  think 
that  there  was  any  great  physical  superiority  in  Christ, 
that  He  was  taller  than  the  common,  or  that  He  was 
distinguished  by  any  of  those  physical  features  that 
at  first  sight  captivate  men.  And  even  in  the  region 
of  intellectual  and  spiritual  influence,  our  Lord  did  not 
conform  to  the  type  that  naturally  commands  the  con- 
fidence and  admiration  of  the  world.  He  had  a  still, 
quiet  manner.  His  eloquence  did  not  flash,  nor  blaze, 
nor  flow  like  a  torrent.  The  power  of  His  words  was 
due  more  to  their  wonderful  depth  of  meaning,  going 
straight  to  the  heart  of  things,  and  to  the  aptness  of 
His  homely  illustrations.  Our  Lord's  mode  of  conquest 
was  very  remarkable.  He  conquered  by  gentleness, 
by  forbearance,  by  love,  by  sympathy,  by  self-denial. 
He  impressed  men  with  the  glory  of  sacrifice,  the  glory 
of  service,  the  glory  of  obedience,  obedience  to  the  one 
great  authority — the  will  of  God — to  which  all  obedience 
is   due.     He   inspired    them  with  a  love  of  purity, — 


Kvi.  i-ij]        DAVID  ANOINTED   BY  SAMUEL,  263 

purity  of  heart,  purity  after  the  highest  pattern.  If 
you  compare  our  blessed  Lord  with  those  who  have 
achieved  great  conquests,  you  cannot  but  see  the 
difference.  I  do  not  mean  with  conquerors  like  Alex- 
ander, or  Caesar,  or  Napoleon.  Napoleon  himself  at 
St.  Helena  showed  in  a  word  the  vast  difference 
between  Christ  and  them.  ''Our  conquests,"  said  he, 
"  have  been  achieved  by  force,  but  Jesus  achieved  His 
by  love,  and  to-day  millions  would  die  for  Him."  But 
look  at  some  who  have  conquered  by  gentler  means. 
Take  such  men  as  Socrates,  or  Plato,  or  Aristotle. 
They  achieved  great  intellectual  conquests — they  founded 
intellectual  empires.  But  the  intellect  of  Jesus  Christ 
was  of  another  order  from  theirs.  He  propounded  no 
theory  of  the  universe.  He  did  not  affect  to  explain 
the  world  of  reason.  He  did  not  profess  to  lay  bare 
the  laws  of  the  human  mind,  or  prescribe  conditions 
for  the  welfare  of  states.  What  strikes  us  about 
Christ's  method  of  influence  is  its  quiet  homeliness. 
Yet  quiet  and  homely  though  it  was  and  is,  how  pro- 
digious, how  unprecedented  has  been  its  power  !  What 
other  king  of  men  has  wielded  a  tithe  of  His  influence  ? 
And  that  not  with  one  class  of  society,  but  with  all , 
not  only  with  the  poor  and  uneducated,  but  with  thinkers 
and  men  of  genius  as  well ;  not  only  with  men  and  women 
who  know  the  world,  and  know  their  own  hearts  and 
all  their  wants,  and  apprehend  the  fitness  of  Christ  to 
supply  them,  but  even  with  little  children,  in  the  simple 
unconsciousness  of  opening  years.  For  out  of  the 
mouths  of  babes  and  sucklings  He  hath  perfected 
praise. 

Now  let  us  mark  this  also,  in  conclusion,  that 
besides  being  a  King  Himself  Jesus  makes  all  His 
people  kings  to  God.     Every  Christian  is  designed  to 


264  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL, 


be  a  ruler,  an  unconscious  one  it  may  be,  but  one  who 
exercises  an  influence  in  the  same  direction  as  Christ's. 
How  can  you  accomplish  this  ?  By  first  of  all  drinking 
into  Christ's  spirit,  looking  out  on  the  world  as  He 
did,  with  compassion,  sympathy,  self-sacrifice,  and  an 
ardent  desire  for  its  renovation  and  its  happiness.  Bj- 
walking  "  worthy  of  the  vocation  wherewith  you  are 
called."  Not  by  the  earthquake,  or  by  the  tempest,  but 
by  the  still  small  voice.  By  quiet,  steady,  persistent 
love,  goodness,  and  self-denial.  These  are  the  true 
Christian  weapons,  often  little  thought  of,  but  really 
the  armour  of  God,  and  weapons  mighty  to  the  pulling 
down  of  strongholds  and  the  subjugation  of  the  world 
to  Christ. 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

DAVID'S  EARLY  LIFE* 
I  Samuel  xvi.  14-23. 

BEFOl^E  we  enter  at  large  into  the  incident  of 
which  these  verses  form  the  record  it  is  desirable 
to  settle,  as  far  as  we  can,  the  order  of  events  in  the 
early  life  of  David. 

After  being  anointed  by  Samuel,  David  would  pro- 
bably return  to  his  work  among  the  sheep.  It  is  quite 
possible  that  some  years  elapsed  before  anything  else 
occurred  to  vary  the  monotony  of  his  first  occupation. 
The  only  interruption  likely  to  have  occurred  to  his 
shepherd  life  would  be,  intercourse  with  Samuel. 
It  is  rather  striking  that  nothing  is  said,  nothing  is 
even  hinted,  as  to  the  private  relations  that  prevailed 
in  youth  between  him  and  the  venerable  prophet  who 
had  anointed  him  with  the  holy  oil.  But  it  cannot  be 
supposed  that  Samuel  would  just  return  to  Ramah 
without  any  further  communication  with  the  youth  that 
was  to  play  so  important  a  part  in  the  future  history  of 
the  country.  If  Saul,  with  all  his  promising  qualities 
at  the  beginning,  had  greatly  disappointed  him,  he 
could  only  be  the  more  anxious  on  that  account  about 
the  disposition  and  development  of  David.  The  fact 
that  after  David  became  the  object  of  the  murderous 


*  A  few  paragraphs  on  the  Life  of  David  are  reproduced  from  the 
author's  book  '*  David,  King  of  Israel," 


266  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL, 

jealousy  of  Saulj  it  was  to  Samuel  he  came  when  he 
fled  from  the  court  to  tell  what  had  taken  place,  and  to 
ask  advice  (ch.  xix.  i8,  19),  seems  to  indicate  that  the 
two  men  were  on  intimate  terms,  and  therefore  that 
they  had  been  much  together  before.  Whether  David 
derived  his  views  of  governm.ent  from  Samuel,  or 
whether  they  were  impressed  on  him  directly  by  the 
Spirit  of  God,  it  is  certain  that  they  were  the  very 
same  as  those  which  Samuel  cherished  so  intensely, 
and  which  he  sought  so  earnestly  to  impress  on  Saul. 
God's  imperial  sovereignty,  and  the  earthly  king's 
entire  subordination  to  him  ;  the  standing  of  the  people 
as  God's  people,  God's  heritage,  and  the  duty  of  the 
king  to  treat  them  as  such,  and  do  all  that  he  could 
for  their  good  ;  the  infinite  and  inexhaustible  privilege 
involved  in  this  relation,  making  all  coquetting  with 
false  gods  shameful,  dishonouring  to  God,  and  dis- 
astrous to  the  people, — were  ruling  principles  with 
Samuel  and  David  alike.  If  David  was  never  formally 
a  pupil  of  Samuel's,  informally  he  must  have  been  so 
to  a  large  extent.  Samuel  lived  in  David  ;  and  the 
complacency  which  the  old  prophet  must  have  had  in 
his  youthful  friend,  and  his  pleasure  in  observing  the 
depth  of  his  loyalty  to  God,  and  his  eager  interest  in 
the  highest  welfare  of  the  people,  must  have  greatly 
mitigated  his  distress  at  the  rejection  of  Saul,  and 
revived  his  hope  of  better  days  for  Israel. 

As  David  grew  in  years,  but  before  he  ceased  to  be 
a  boy,  he  might  acquire  that  local  reputation  as  "a 
mighty  valiant  man  and  a  man  of  war "  which  his 
friend  referred  to  when  he  first  mentioned  him  to  Saul. 
In  him  as  in  Jonathan  faith  gendered  a  habit  of  dash 
and  daring  which  could  not  be  suppressed  in  the  days 
of  eager  boyhood.     The  daring  insolence  of  the  Philis- 


xvi.  14-23.]  DAVID'S  EARLY  LIFE.  267 

tines,  whose  country  lay  but  a  few  miles  to  the  west  of 
Bethlehem,  might  afford  him  opportunities  for  deeds 
of  boyish  valour.  Jerusalem,  the  stronghold  of  the 
Jebusites,  was  but  two  hours  distant  from  Bethlehem, 
and  on  the  part  of  its  people,  too,  collisions  with 
Israelites  were  doubtless  liable  to  occur.  It  may 
have  bee.j  now,  or  possibly  a  little  later,  that  the  con- 
test occurred  with  the  lion  and  the  bear.  The  country 
round  Bethlehem  was  not  a  peaceful  paradise,  and  the 
career  of  a  shepherd  was  not  the  easy  life  of  lovesick 
swains  which  poets  dream. 

It  was  at  this  period  of  David's  life  that  Saul's  pecu- 
liar malady  took  that  form  which  suggested  the  use  of 
music  to  soothe  his  nervous  irritation.  His  courtiers 
recommended  that  he  should  seek  out  a  cunning  player 
on  the  harp,  whose  soothing  strains  would  calm  him  in 
the  paroxysms  of  his  ailment.  Obviously,  it  was  desir- 
able that  one  who  was  to  be  so  close  to  a  king  so  full 
of  the  military  spirit  as  Saul  should  have  a  touch  of 
that  spirit  himself.  David  had  become  known  to  one 
of  the  courtiers,  who  at  once  mentioned  him  as  in  all 
respects  suitable  for  the  berth.  Saul  accordingly  sent 
messengers  to  Jesse,  bidding  him  send  to  him  David 
his  son,  who  was  with  the  sheep.  And  David  came 
to  Saul.  But  his  first  visit  seems  to  have  been  quite 
short.  Saul's  attacks  were  probably  occasional,  and  at 
first  long  intervals  may  have  occurred  between  them. 
When  he  recovered  from  the  attack  at  which  David  had 
been  sent  for,  the  cunning  harper  was  needed  no  longer, 
and  would  naturally  return  home.  He  may  have  been 
but  a  very  short  time  with  Saul,  too  short  for  much 
acquaintance  being  formed.  But  it  is  the  way  of  the 
historians  of  Scripture,  when  a  topic  has  once  been 
introduced,  to  pursue  it  to  its  issues  without  note  01 


268  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL. 

the  events  that  came  between.  The  writer  having  indi- 
cated how  David  was  first  brought  into  contact  with 
Saul,  as  his  musician,  pursues  the  subject  of  their  re- 
lation, without  mentioning  that  the  fight  with  Goliath 
occurred  between.  Some  critics  have  maintained  that 
in  this  book  we  have  two  accounts  of  David's  introduc- 
tion to  Saul,  accounts  which  contradict  one  another. 
In  the  fiist  of  them  he  became  known  to  him  first  as 
a  musician  sent  for  in  the  height  of  his  attack.  In  the 
other  it  is  as  the  conqueror  of  Goliath  he  appears  before 
Saul.  It  is  the  fact  that  neither  Saul  nor  any  of  his 
people  knew  on  this  occasion  who  he  was  that  is  so 
strange.  According  to  our  view  the  order  of  events 
was  this :  David's  first  visit  to  Saul  to  play  before  him 
on  his  harp  was  a  very  short  one.  Some  time  after 
the  conflict  with  Goliath  occurred.  David's  appearance 
nad  probably  changed  considerably,  so  that  Saul  did  not 
recognize  him.  It  was  now  that  Saul  attached  David 
to  himself,  kept  him  permanently,  and  would  not  let  him 
return  to  his  father's  house  (ch.  xviii.  2).  And  while 
David  acted  as  musician,  playing  to  him  on  his  harp  in 
the  paroxysms  of  his  ailment  (ch.  xviii.  10),  he  went  out 
at  his  command  on  military  expeditions,  and  acquired 
great  renown  as  a  warrior  (ch.  xviii.  5).  Thus,  to  turn 
back  to  the  sixteenth  chapter,  the  last  two  verses  of  that 
chapter  record  the  permanent  office  before  Saul  which 
David  came  to  fill  after  the  slaughter  of  the  Philistine. 
In  fact,  we  find  in  that  chapter,  as  often  elsewhere,  a 
brief  outline  of  the  whole  course  of  events,  some  of  which 
are  filled  up  in  minute  detail  in  the  chapter  following. 

Having  thus  settled  the  chronology,  or  rather  the 
order  of  events  in  David's  early  history,  it  may  be  well 
now  to  examine  more  fully  that  period  of  his  life,  in 
so  far  as  we  have  any  materials  for  doing  so. 


Kvi.  14-23.]  DAVIDS  EARLY  LIFE.  269 


According    to    the    chronology    of    the    Authorized 
Version,  the  birth  of  David  must  have  occurred  about 
the  year  before  Christ  1080.     It  v^^as  about  a  hundred 
years  later  than  the  date  commonly  assigned   to    th^ 
Trojan  war,  and  therefore  a  considerable  time  befort 
the    dawn   of  authentic   history,   at    least    among   the 
Greeks  or  the  Romans.     The  age  of  David  succeeded 
what  might  be  called  the  heroic  age  of  Hebrew  history  ; 
in   one  sense,  indeed,   it   was  a   continuation  of  that 
period.     Samson,   the   latest,    and    in   some  sense  the 
greatest  of  the  Jewish  heroes,  had  perished  not  very 
long  before  ;  and  the  scene  of  his  birth  and  of  some  of 
his  most  famous  exploits  lay  within  a  very  few  miles 
of  Bethlehem.     In   David's   boyhood    old    men  would 
still  be  living  who  had  seen  and  talked  with  the  Hebrew 
Hercules,  and  from  whose  lips  high-spirited  boys  would 
hear,  with  sparkling  eye  and  heaving  bosom,  the  story 
of  his  exploits  and  the  tragedy  of  his  death.     The  v/hole 
neighbourhood  would  swarm  with  songs  and  legends 
illustrr.tive  of  the  deeds  of  those  mighty  men  of  valour, 
that  ever  since  the  sojourn  in  Egypt  had  been  conferring 
renown  on  the  Hebrew  name.     The  mind  of  boyhood 
delights  in  such  narratives  ;  they  rouse  the  soul,  ex- 
pand the   imagination,   and   create  sympathy  with    all 
that  is  brave  and  noble.     We  cannot  doubt  that  such 
things  had  a  great  effect  on  the  susceptible  temperament 
of  the  youthful  David,  and  contributed  some  elements 
of  that  manly  and  invincible  spirit  which  remained  so 
prominent  in  his  character. 

But  a  much  more  important  factor  in  determining  his 
character  and  shaping  his  life  was  the  religious  awaken- 
ing in  which  Samuel  had  so  prominent  a  share.  Not  a 
word  io  said  anywhere  of  the  manner  in  which  David's 
heart  was  first  turned  to   God  ;    but  this   mu§t  have 


270  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL, 

been  in  his  earliest  years.  We  think  of  David  as  we 
think  of  Samuel,  or  Jeremiah,  or  Josiah,  or  John  the 
Baptist,  as  sanctified  to  the  Lord  from  his  very  child- 
hood. God  chose  him  at  the  very  outset  in  a  more 
vital  sense  than  He  afterwards  chose  him  to  be  king. 
In  the  exercise  of  that  mysterious  sovereignty  which 
we  are  unable  to  fathom,  God  made  his  youthful  heart 
a  plot  of  good  soil,  into  which  when  the  seed  fell  it 
bore  fruit  an  hundredfold.  In  strong  contrast  to  Saul, 
whose  early  sympathies  were  against  the  ways  and 
will  of  God,  those  of  David  were  warmly  for  them. 
Samuel  would  find  him  an  eager  and  willing  listener 
when  he  spoke  to  him  of  God  and  His  ways.  How 
strange  are  the  differences  of  young  persons,  in  this 
respect,  when  they  come  first  under  the  instructions  of 
a  minister  or  other  servant  of  God  !  Some  so  earnest, 
so  attentive,  so  impressed ;  so  ready  to  drink  in  all 
that  is  said;  treasuring  it,  hiding  it  in  their  hearts, 
rejoicing  in  it  like  those  that  find  great  spoil.  Others 
so  hard  to  bring  into  line,  so  glad  of  an  excuse  for 
absence,  so  difficult  to  interest,  so  fitful  and  uncon- 
cerned. No  doubt  much  depends  on  the  skill  of  the 
teacher  in  working  upon  anything  in  their  minds  that 
gives  even  a  faint  response  to  the  truth.  And  in  no 
case  is  the  aversion  of  the  heart  beyond  the  power  of 
the  Holy  Spirit  to  influence  and  to  change.  But  for 
all  that,  we  cannot  but  acknowledge  the  mysterious 
sovereignty  w^hich  through  causes  we  cannot  trace 
makes  one  man  so  to  differ  from^  another ;  which  made 
Abel  so  different  from  Cain,  Isaac  from  Ishmael,  Moses 
from  Balaam,  and  David  from  Saul. 

Was  David  at  any  time  a  member  of  any  of  the 
schools  of  the  prophets?  We  cannot  say  with  certainty, 
but   when   we   ponder  what   we   read   about   them  it 


xvL  14-23.]  DAVIirS  EARLY  LIFE.  371 

seems  very  likely  that  he  was.  These  schools  seem  to 
have  enjoyed  in  an  eminent  degree  the  gracious  power 
of  the  Holy  Spirit.  The  hearts  of  the  inmates  seem  to 
have  burned  with  the  glow  of  devotion  ;  the  emotions 
of  holy  joy  with  which  they  were  animated  could  not 
be  restrained,  but  poured  out  from  them,  like  streams 
from  a  gushing  fountain,  in  holy  songs  and  ascriptions 
to  God;  and  such  was  the  overpowering  influence  of 
this  spirit  that  for  a  time  it  infected  even  cold-hearted 
men  like  Saul,  and  bore  them  along,  as  an  enthusiastic 
crowd  gathers  up  stragglers  and  sweeps  them  onward 
in  its  current.  It  seems  highly  probable  that  it  was  in 
connection  w^ith  these  institutions,  on  which  so  signal 
a  blessing  rested,  that  the  devotional  spirit  became  so 
powerful  in  David  afterwards  poured  out  so  freely  in 
his  Psalms.  For  surely  he  could  not  be  in  the  com- 
pany of  men  who  were  so  full  of  the  Spirit  without 
sharing  their  experience  and  pouring  forth  the  feelings 
that  stirred  his  soul. 

We  all  believe  in  some  degree  in  the  law  of  heredity, 
and  find  it  interesting  to  trace  the  features  of  forefathers, 
ph3^sical  and  spiritual,  in  the  persons  of  their  descend- 
ants. The  piety,  the  humanity,  and  the  affectionateness 
of  Boaz  and  Ruth  form  a  beautiful  picture  in  the  early 
Hebrew  history,  and  seem  to  come  before  us  anew  in 
the  character  of  David.  Boaz  was  remarkable  for  the 
fatherly  interest  he  took  in  his  dependants,  for  his 
generous  kindness  to  the  poor,  and  for  a  spirit  of  gentle 
piety  that  breathed  even  through  his  secular  life.  Was 
it  not  the  same  spirit  that  dictated  the  benediction, 
"  Blessed  is  he  that  considereth  the  poor ;  the  Lord  will 
deliver  him  in  time  of  trouble"?  Was  it  not  the  same 
interest  in  the  welfare  of  dependants  that  David  showed 
when  "  he  dealt  among  the  people,  even  the  whole  mul- 


272  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL, 

titude  of  Israel,  as  well  to  the  women  as  to  the  men,  to 
every  one  a  cake  of  bread,  and  a  good  piece  of  flesh, 
and  a  flagon  of  wine  ?  Ruth  again  was  remarkable  for 
the  extraordinary  depth  and  tenderness  of  her  affection  ; 
her  words  to  Naomi  have  never  been  surpassed  as  an 
expression  of  simple,  tender  feeling  :  ''  Entreat  me  not 
to  leave  thee,  nor  to  return  from  following  after  thee  ; 
for  whither  thou  goest  I  will  go,  and  where  thou  lodgest 
I  will  lodge;  thy  people  shall  be  my  people,  and  thy 
God  my  God."  Does  not  this  extraordinary  tenderness 
seem  to  have  fallen  undiminished  to  the  man  who  had 
such  an  affection  for  Jonathan,  who  showed  such  emo- 
tion on  the  illness  of  his  infant  child,  and  poured  out 
such  a  flood  of  anguish  on  the  death  of  Absalom  ? 
The  history  of  Boaz  and  Ruth  would  surely  take  hold 
very  early  of  his  mind.  The  very  house  in  which  he 
lived,  the  fields  where  he  tended  his  sheep,  every  object 
around  him,  might  have  associations  with  their  memory  ; 
aged  people  might  tell  him  stories  of  their  benevolence, 
and  pious  people  give  him  traditions  of  their  godliness, 
and  thus  an  element  would  be  contributed  to  a  character 
in  which  the  tenderness  of  a  woman  and  the  piety  of 
a  saint  were  combined  with  the  courage  and  energy 
of  a  man. 

The  birthplace  of  David,  Bethlehem,  is  more  remark- 
able for  its  moral  associations  than  its  natural  features. 
Well  has  it  been  said  by  Edward  Robinson  of  the  place 
where  both  David  and  Jesus  were  born,  "What  a  mighty 
influence  for  good  has  gone  forth  from  this  little  spot 
upon  the  human  race  both  for  time  and  for  eternity!'* 
It  was  situated  some  six  miles  to  the  south  of  Jerusalem, 
and  about  twice  that  distance  to  the  north  of  Hebron. 
The  present  town  is  built  upon  the  north  and  north-east 
slope  of  a  long  grey  ridge,  with  a  deep  valley  in  front 


XVI.  14-23.]  DAVID'S  EARLY  LIFE. 


*73 


and  another  behind,  uniting  at  no  great  distance,  and 
running  down  toward  the  Dead  Sea.  The  country 
around  is  hilly,  but  hardly  beautiful;  the  limestone 
rock  gives  a  bare  appearance  to  the  hills,  which  is  not 
redeemed  by  boldness  of  form  or  picturesqueness  of 
outline.  The  fields,  though  stony  and  rough,  produce 
good  crops  of  grain;  olive  groves,  fig-orchards,  and 
vineyards  abound  both  in  the  valleys  and  on  the  gentler 
slopes;  the  higher  and  wilder  tracts  were  probably 
devoted  to  the  pasturing  of  flocks.  The  whole  tract  in 
which  Hebron,  Bethlehem,  and  Jerusalem  are  situated 
is  elevated  nearly  four  thousand  feet  above  the  level  of 
Jordan  and  the  Dead  Sea  on  the  one  side,  and  between 
two  and  three  thousand  feet  above  the  Mediterranean  on 
the  other.  Among  these  hills  and  valleys  David  spent 
his  youth,  watching  the  flocks  of  his  father. 

We  have  seen  that  the  life  of  a  shepherd  in  those 
scenes  was  not  without  its  times  of  danger,  making  great 
demands  on  the  shepherd's  courage  and  affection.  In 
the  main,  however,  it  was  a  quiet  life,  affording  copious 
opportunities  for  meditation  and  for  quiet  study.  It 
was  the  great  privilege  of  David  to  see  much  of  God 
in  His  works  and  to  commune  with  Him  therein. 
The  Psalms  are  full  of  allusions  to  the  varied  aspects 
of  nature— the  mountains,  the  rocks,  the  rivers,  the 
valleys,  the  forests,  the  lightning,  the  thunder,  the 
whirlwind. 

It  is  not  easy  to  say  how  much  of  the  written  Word 
existed  in  David's  time,  but  at  the  most  it  could  be  but 
a  fragment  of  what  we  now  possess.  But  if  the  mines 
of  revelation  were  few,  all  the  more  eager  was  his 
search  for  their  hidden  treasures.  And  David  had  the 
advantage  of  using  what  we  may  call  a  pictorial  Bible. 
When  he  read  of  the  destruction  of  Sodom  he  could 
VOL.   I.  1 3 


874  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL, 

see  the  dark  wall  of  Moab  frowning  over  the  lake  near 
to  which  the  guilty  cities  were  consumed  by  the  fire 
of  heaven.  When  he  paused  to  think  of  the  solemn 
transactions  at  Machpelah,  he  could  see  in  the  distance 
the  very  spot  where  so  much  sacred  dust  was  gathered. 
Close  by  his  daily  haunts  one  pillar  marked  the  place 
where  God  spake  to  Jacob,  and  another  the  spot  where 
poor  Rachel  died.  In  the  dark  range  of  Moab  yon 
lofty  peak  was  the  spot  whence  Moses  had  his  view 
and  Balaam  his  vision.  It  was  from  that  eminence 
the  prophet  from  Pethor  saw  a  star  come  out  of  Jacob 
and  a  sceptre  rise  out  of  Israel  that  should  smite  the 
corners  of  Moab  and  destroy  all  the  children  of  Seth. 
The  sympathy  with  God  fostered  by  these  studies  and 
meditations  was  of  the  closest  kind  ;  an  unusually  cleaj 
and  impressive  knowledge  seems  to  have  been  acquired 
of  the  purpose  of  God  concerning  Israel ;  drinking  in 
himself  the  lessons  of  revelation,  he  was  becoming 
qualified  to  become  the  instrument  of  the  Holy  Spirit 
for  those  marvellous  contributions  to  its  canon  which 
he  was  afterwards  honoured  to  make. 

And  among  these  hills  and  valleys,  too,  David  would 
acquire  his  proficiency  in  the  two  very  different  arts 
which  were  soon  to  make  him  famous — the  use  of  the 
sling  and  the  use  of  the  harp.  It  seems  to  have  been 
his  ambition,  whatever  he  did,  to  do  it  in  the  best 
possible  way.  His  skill  in  the  use  of  the  sling  was  so 
perfect  that  he  could  project  a  stone  even  at  a  small 
object  with  unerring  certainty.  His  harp  was  probably 
a  very  sim.ple  instrument,  small  enough  to  be  carried 
about  with  him,  but  in  handling  it  he  acquired  the 
same  perfect  skill  as  in  handling  his  sling.  In  his 
hands  it  became  a  wonderfully  expressive  instrument. 
And  hence    when  Saul  required  a  skilful  musician  to 


xvi.  14-23.]  DAVID'S  EARLY  LIFE.  275 

soothe  him,  the  known  gifts  of  the  young  shepherd 
of  Bethlehem  pointed  him  out  as  the  man. 

Of  the  influence  of  music  in  remedying  disorders  of 
the  nerves  there  is  no  want  of  evidence.  '*  Bochart  has 
collected  many  passages  from  profane  writers  which 
speak  of  the  medicinal  effects  of  music  on  the  mind  and 
body,  especially  as  appeasing  anger  and  soothing  and 
pacifying  a  troubled  spirit  "  {Speaker's  Commentary).  A 
whole  book  was  written  on  the  subject  by  Caspar  Lses- 
cherus.  Professor  of  Divinity  at  Wittenberg  (a.d.  1688). 
Kitto  and  other  writers  have  added  more  recent  in- 
stances. It  is  said  of  Charles  IX.  of  France  that  after 
the  massacre  of  St.  Bartholomew  his  sleep  was  dis- 
turbed b}^  nightly  horrors,  and  he  could  only  be  com- 
posed to  rest  by  a  symphony  of  singing  boys.  Philip  V. 
of  Spain,  being  seized  with  deep  dejection  of  mind 
that  unfitted  him  for  all  public  duties,  a  celebrated 
musician  was  invited  to  surprise  the  king  by  giving  a 
concert  in  the  neighbouring  apartment  to  his  majesty's, 
with  the  effect  that  the  king  roused  himself  from  his 
lethargy  and  resumed  his  duties.  We  may  readiFy 
believe  that  in  soothing  power  the  harp  was  not 
inferior  to  any  of  the  other  instruments. 

Still,  with  all  its  success,  it  was  but  a  poor  method  of 
soothing  a  troubled  spirit  compared  to  the  methods  that 
David  was  afterwards  to  employ.  It  dealt  chiefly  with 
man's  physical  nature,  it  soothed  the  nervous  system, 
and  removed  the  hindrance  which  their  disorder  caused 
to  the  action  of  the  powers  of  the  mind.  It  did  not 
strike  at  the  root  of  all  trouble — alienation  from  God ; 
it  did  not  attempt  to  create  and  apply  the  only  per- 
manent remedy  for  trouble — trust  in  a  loving  Father's 
care.  It  was  a  mere  foreshadow,  on  a  comparatively 
low  and  earthly  ground,  of  the  v/ay  in  which  David,  as 


276  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL, 

the  Psalmist,  was  afterwards  to  provide  the  true  **oil 
of  joy  for  the  mourner,"  and  to  become  a  guide  to  the 
downcast  soul  from  the  fearful  pit  and  the  miry  clay 
up  to  the  third  heaven  of  joy  and  peace.  The  sounds 
of  his  har  pcould  only  operate  by  an  influence  felt  alike 
by  saint  and  sinner  in  soothing  an  agitated  frame; 
but  with  the  words  of  his  Psalms,  the  Divine  Spirit, 
by  whose  inspiration  they  were  poured  out,  was  in  all 
coming  ages  to  unite  Himself,  and  to  use  them  for 
showing  the  sin-burdened  soul  the  true  cause  of  its 
misery,  and  for  leading  it  by  a  holy  path,  sorrowing 
yet  rejoicing,  to  the  home  of  its  reconciled  Father. 

It  is  a  painful  thing  to  see  any  one  in  overwhelming 
trouble  ;  it  is  doubly  painful  to  see  kings  and  others  in 
high  places  miserable  amid  all  their  splendours,  helpless 
amid  all  their  resources.  Alas,  O  spirit  of  man,  what 
awful  trials  thou  art  subject  to  !  Well  mayest  thou 
sometimes  envy  the  very  animals  around  thee,  which,  if 
they  have  no  such  capacities  of  enjoyment  as  thou  hast, 
have  on  the  other  hand  no  such  capacities  of  misery. 
The  higher  our  powers  and  position,  the  more  awful  the 
anguish  when  anything  goes  wrong.  Yet  hast  thou 
not,  O  man,  a  capacity  to  know  that  thy  misery  cannot 
be  remedied  till  the  cause  of  it  is  removed  ?  Prodigal 
son,  there  is  but  one  way  to  escape  a  miserable  life. 
Arise,  go  to  thy  Father.  See  how  He  is  in  Christ 
reconcihng  the  world  to  Himself,  not  im.puting  to  men 
their  trespasses.  Accept  His  offers  and  be  at  peace. 
Receive  His  Spirit  and  your  disorder  shall  be  healed. 
I  own  that  not  even  then  can  we  assure  you  of  freedom 
from  grievous  sorrows.  The  best  of  men  in  this  world 
have  often  most  grievous  sufferings.  But  they  are 
strengthened  to  bear  them  while  they  last ;  they  are 
assured  that  all  things  work  together  for  good  to  them 


xvi.  14-23.]  DA  VID'S  EARL  V  LIFE.  277 

that  love  God,  to  them  that  are  the  called  according  to 
His  purpose  ;  and  they  know  that  when  '^  the  earthly 
house  of  their  tabernacle  is  dissolved,  they  have  a 
building  of  God,  an  house  not  made  with  hands,  eternal 
in  the  heavena." 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

DAVID'S  CONFLICT  WITH  GOLIATIf 
I  Samuel  xvii. 

THESE  irrepressible  Philistines  were  never  long 
recovering  from  their  disasters.  The  victory  of 
Jonathan  had  been  impaired  by  the  exhaustion  of  the 
soldiers,  caused  by  Saul's  fast  preventing  them  from 
pursuing  the  enemy  as  far,  and  destroying  their  force 
as  thoroughly,  as  they  might  have  done.  A  new  attack 
was  organised  against  Israel,  headed  by  a  champion, 
Goliath  of  Gath,  wliose  height  must  have  approached 
the  extraordinary  stature  of  ten  feet.  Against  this 
army  Saul  arrayed  his  force,  and  the  two  armies 
fronted  each  other  on  opposite  sides  of  the  valley  of 
Elah.  This  valley  has  generally  been  identified  with 
that  which  now  bears  the  name  of  Wady-es-Sumt — a 
valley  running  down  from  the  plateau  of  Judah  to 
the  Philistine  plain,  not  more  than  perhaps  eight  or 
ten  miles  from  Bethlehem.  The  Philistine  champion 
appears  to  have  been  a  man  of  physical  strength 
corresponding  to  the  massiveness  of  his  body.  The 
weight  of  his  coat  of  mail  is  estimated  at  more  than 
one  hundred  and  fifty  pounds,  and  the  head  of  his 
spear  eighteen  pounds.  Remembering  the  extraordinary 
feats  of  Samson,  the  Philistines  might  well  fancy  that 
it  was  new  their  turn  to  boast  of  a  Hercules.  Day 
after  day  Goliath  presented  himself  before  the  army  of 


xvii.]  DAViiys  CONFLICT  WITH  GOLIATH.  279 

Israel,  calling  proudly  for  a  foeman  worthy  of  his  steel, 
and  demanding  that  in  default  of  any  one  able  to  fight 
with  him  and  kill  him,  the  Israelites  should  abandon 
all  dream  of  independence,  and  become  vassals  of  the 
Philistines.  And  morning  and  evening,  for  nearly  six 
weeks,  had  this  proud  challenge  been  given,  but  never 
once  accepted.  Even  Jonathan,  who  had  faith  enough 
and  courage  enough  and  skill  enough  for  so  much, 
seems  to  have  felt  himself  helpless  in  this  great  dilemma. 
The  explanation  that  has  sometimes  been  given  of  his 
abstention,  that  it  was  not  etiquette  for  a  king's  son  to 
engage  in  fight  with  a  commoner,  can  hardly  hold  water; 
Jonathan  showed  no  such  squeamishness  at  Michmash ; 
and  besides,  in  cases  of  desperation  etiquette  has  to  be 
thrown  to  the  winds.  Of  the  host  of  Israel,  we  read 
simply  that  they  were  dismayed.  Nor  does  Saul  seem 
to  have  renewed  the  attempt  to  get  counsel  of  God 
after  his  experience  on  the  day  of  Jonathan's  victory. 
The  Israelites  could  only  look  on  in  grim  humiliation, 
sullenly  guarding  the  pass  by  the  valley  into  their 
territories,  but  returning  a  silent  refusal  to  the  demand 
of  the  Philistines  either  to  furnish  a  champion  or  to 
become  their  servants. 

The  coming  of  David  upon  the  scene  corresponded 
in  its  accidental  character  to  the  coming  of  Saul  into 
contact  with  Samuel,  to  be  designated  for  the  throne. 
Everything  seemed  to  be  casual,  yet  those  things  which 
seemed  most  casual  were  really  links  in  a  providential 
chain  leading  to  the  gravest  issues.  It  seemed  to  be  by 
chance  that  David  had  three  brothers  serving  in  Saul's 
army ;  it  seemed  also  to  be  by  chance  that  their  father 
sent  his  youthful  shepherd  son  to  inquire  after  their 
welfare;  it  was  not  by  design  that  as  he  saluted  his 
brethren  Goliath  came  up  and  David  heard  his  words 


28o  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL. 

of  defiance  ;  still  less  was  it  on  purpose  to  wait  for 
David  that  Saul  had  sent  no  one  out  as  yet  to  encounter 
the  Philistine  ;  and  nothing  could  have  appeared  more 
ridiculous  than  that  the  challenge  should  wait  to  be 
answered  by  the  stripling  shepherd,  who,  with  his 
sling  and  shepherd's  bag  thrown  over  his  shoulder,  had 
so  little  of  the  appearance  of  a  man  of  war.  It  seemed 
very  accidental,  too,  that  the  only  part  of  the  giant's 
person  that  was  not  thoroughly  defended  by  his 
armour,  his  eyes  and  a  morsel  of  his  forehead  above 
them,  was  the  only  part  of  him  on  which  a  small  stone 
from  a  sHng  could  have  inflicted  a  fatal  injury.  But 
obviously  all  these  w^ere  parts  of  the  providential  plan 
by  which  David  was  at  once  to  confer  on  his  country  a 
signal  boon,  and  to  raise  his  name  to  the  pinnacle  of 
fame.  And,  as  usual,  all  the  parts  of  this  pre-arranged 
plan  fell  out  without  constraint  or  interference ;  a 
new  proof  that  Divine  pre-ordination  does  not  impair 
the  liberty  of  man. 

One  cannot  but  wonder  whether,  in  offering  his 
prayers  that  morning,  David  had  any  presentiment  of 
the  trial  that  awaited  him,  anything  to  impel  him  to 
unwonted  fervour  in  asking  God  that  day  to  establish 
the  works  of  his  hands  upon  him.  There  is  no  reason 
to  think  that  he  had.  His  prayers  that  morning  were 
in  all  likehhood  his  usual  prayers.  And  if  he  was 
sincere  in  the  expression  of  his  own  sense  of  w^eakness, 
and  in  his  supplication  that  God  would  strengthen  him 
for  all  the  day's  duties,  it  was  enough.  Oh  !  how  little 
we  know  what  may  be  before  us,  on  some  morning  that 
dawns  on  us  just  as  other  days,  but  which  is  to  form  a 
great  crisis  in  our  life.  How  little  the  boy  that  is  to 
tell  his  first  lie  that  day  thinks  of  the  serpent  that  is 
lying  in  wait  for  him  I     How  little  the  girl  that  is  to 


xvii.]  DAVID'S  CONFLICT   WITH  GOLIATH,  281 

fall  in  with  her  betrayer  thinks  of  the  snare  preparing 
for  her  body  and  her  soul !  How  little  the  party  that 
are  to  be  upset  in  the  pleasure  boat  and  consigned  to 
a  watery  grave  think  how  the  day  is  to  end  !  Should 
we  not  pray  more  really,  more  earnestly  if  we  did 
realise  these  possibilities  ?  True,  indeed,  the  future  is 
hid  from  us,  and  we  do  not  usually  experience  the 
impulse  to  earnestness  which  it  would  impart.  But  is 
it  not  a  good  habit,  as  you  kneel  each  morning,  to  think, 
"  For  aught  I  know,  this  may  be  the  most  important  day 
of  my  life.  The  opportunity  may  be  given  me  of  doing 
a  great  service  in  the  cause  of  truth  and  righteousness ; 
or  the  temptation  may  assail  me  to  deny  my  Lord  and 
ruin  my  soul.  O  God,  be  not  far  from  me  this  day ; 
prepare  me  for  all  that  Thou  preparest  for  me ! " 

The  distance  from  Bethlehem  being  but  a  few  hours' 
walk,  David  starting  in  the  morning  would  arrive  early 
in  the  day  at  the  quarters  of  the  army.  When  he 
heard  the  challenge  of  the  Philistine  he  was  astonished 
to  find  that  no  one  had  taken  it  up.  There  was  a  mys- 
tery about  this,  about  the  cowardice  of  his  countrymen, 
perhaps  about  the  attitude  of  Jonathan,  that  he  could 
not  solve.  Accordingly,  with  all  that  earnestness  and 
curiosity  with  which  one  peers  into  all  the  circumstances 
surrounding  a  mystery,  he  asked,  what  encouragement 
there  was  to  volunteer,  what  reward  was  any  one  to 
receive  who  should  kill  this  Philistine?  Not  that  he 
personally  was  caring  about  the  reward,  but  he  wished 
to  solve  the  m^'stery.  It  is  evident  that  the  considera- 
tion that  moved  David  himself  was  that  the  Philistine 
had  defied  the  armies  of  the  living  God.  It  was  the 
same  arrogant  claim  to  be  above  the  God  of  Israel, 
which  had  puffed  up  their  minds  when  they  took  posses- 
sion of  the  ark  and  placed  it  in  the  temple  of  their  god. 


282  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL, 

"You  thought  so  that  day,"  David  might  mutter,  '*  but 
what  did  you  think  next  morning,  when  the  mutilated 
image  of  your  god  lay  prostrate  on  the  floor  ?  Please 
God,  your  sensations  to-morrow,  yea,  this  very  fore- 
noon, shall  be  such  as  they  were  then."  The  spirit  of 
faith  started  into  full  and  high  activity,  and  the  same 
kind  of  inspiration  that  had  impelled  Jonathan  to  climb 
into  the  garrison  at  Michmash  now  impelled  David  to 
vindicate  the  blasphemed  name  of  Jehovah.  Was  it 
the  flash  of  this  inspiration  in  his  eye,  was  it  the  tone 
of  it  in  his  voice,  was  it  the  consciousness  that  some- 
thing desperate  was  to  follow  in  the  way  of  personal 
faith  and  daring,  that  roused  the  temper  of  Eliab,  and 
drew  from  him  a  withering  rebuke  of  the  presumption 
of  the  stripling  that  dared  to  meddle  with  such  matters  ? 
Eliab  certainly  did  not  spare  him.  Elder  brothers  are 
seldom  remiss  in  rebuking  the  presumption  of  younger. 
"  Why  camest  thou  down  hither  ?  And  with  whom 
hast  thou  left  those  few  sheep  in  the  wilderness  ?  I 
know  thy  pride  and  the  naughtiness  of  thy  heart ;  for 
thou  art  come  down  that  thou  mightest  see  the  battle." 
Irritating  though  such  language  was,  it  was  borne  with 
admirable  meekness.  "  What  have  I  now  done  ?  Is 
there  not  a  cause  ? "  "  He  that  ruleth  his  spirit  is 
greater  than  he  that  taketh  a  city."  Eliab  showed 
himself  defeated  by  his  own  temper,  a  most  mortifying 
defeat ;  David  held  his  temper  firmly  in  command. 
Which  was  the  greater,  which  the  better  man  ?  And 
the  short  question  he  put  to  Eliab  was  singularly  apt, 
*'  Is  there  not  a  cause  ?  "  When  all  you  men  of  war 
are  standing  helpless  and  perplexed  in  the  face  of  this 
great  national  insult,  is  there  not  a  cause  why  I  should 
inquire  into  the  matter,  if,  by  God's  help,  I  can  do  any- 
thing for  my  God  and  my  people  ? 


«vii.]  DAVID'S   CONFLICT  WITH  GOLIATH. 


Undaunted    by    his    brother's    volley,    he  turned  to 
some  one  else,  and  obtained  a  similar  answer  to  his 
questions.      Inspiration    is    a    rapid    process,    and    the 
course   for  him   to   pursue  was  now  fully  determined 
upon.     His  indignant  tone  and  confident  reliance   on 
the  God  of  Israel,  so  unlike  the  tone  of  every  one  else 
excited  the  attention  of  the  bystanders  ;  they  rehearsed 
his  words  to  Saul,  and  Saul  sent  for  him.     And  when 
he  came  to  Saul,  there  was  not  the  slightest  trace  of 
fear   or  faintheartedness  about   him.     ''Let  no  man's 
heart  fail  because  of  him  ;  thy  servant  will  go  and  fi-ht 
with  this  Philistine."     Brave  words,  but,  as  Saul  thinks, 
very  foolish.     ''  You  go  and  fight  with  the  Philistine? 
you  a  mere  shepherd  boy,  who  never  knew  the  brunt 
of  battle,  and  he  a  man  of  war  from  his  youth  ?  "     Yes 
Saul,   that    is  just    the   way  for   you    to   speak,  with 
your  earthly  way  of  viewing  things;  you,  who  measure 
strength  only  by  a  carnal  standard,  who  know  nothing 
of  the   faith  that   removes  mountains,  who  forget  the 
meaning   of  the   name    Isra-el,  and    never   spent   an 
hour    as   Jacob   spent    his  night  at  Peniel  I     Listen  to 
the  reply  of  faith.      ''And  David  said  unto  Saul   Thy 
servant  kept  his  father's  sheep,  and  there  came  a  lion 
and  a  bear,  and  took  a  lamb  out  of  the  flock  ;  and  I 
went  out  after  him  and  smote  him,  and  delivered  it  out 
of  his  mouth;  and  when  he  arose  against  me  I  caught 
him  by  his  beard,  and  smote  him  and  slew  him      Thy 
servant  slew  both   the  lion   and    the   bear;    and    this 
uncircumcised  Philistine  shall  be  as  one  of  them,  seeing 
he  hath  defied   the  armies  of  the  living  God.     David 
said  moreover,  The  Lord  that  delivered  me  out  of  the 
paw  of  the  lion,  and  out  of  the  paw  of  the  bear.  He 
will  dehver  me  out  of  the  hand  of  this  Philistine."  ' 
Could  there  have    been   a  nobler   exercise  of  faith, 


284  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL. 

a  finer  instance  of  a  human  spirit  taking  hold  of  the 
Invisible  ;  fortifying  itself  against  material  perils  by 
realizing  the  help  of  an  unseen  God  ;  resting  on  His 
sure  word  as  on  solid  rock  ;  flinging  itself  fearlessly 
on  a  very  sea  of  dangers  ;  confident  of  protection  and 
victory  from  Him  ?  The  only  help  to  faith  was  the 
emembrance  of  the  encounter  with  the  lion  and  tlie 
bear,  and  the  assurance  that  the  same  gracious  help 
would  be  vouchsafed  now.  But  no  heart  that  was  not 
full  of  faith  would  have  thought  of  that,  either  as  an 
evidence  that  God  worked  by  him  then,  or  as  a  sure 
pledge  that  God  would  work  by  him  now.  How  many 
m  adventurer  or  sportsman,  that  in  some  encounter  with 
wild  animals  has  escaped  death  by  the  very  skin  of  his 
teeth,  thinks  only  of  his  luck,  or  the  happiness  of  the 
thought  that  led  him  to  do  so  and  so  in  what  seemed 
the  very  article  of  death  ?  A  deliverance  of  this  kind 
IS  no  security  against  a  like  deliverance  afterwards  ;  it 
can  give  nothing  more  than  a  hope  of  escape.  The 
faith  of  David  recognized  God's  merciful  hand  in  the 
first  deliverance,  and  that  gave  an  assurance  of  it  in 
the  other.  What !  would  that  God  that  had  helped  him  to 
rescue  a  lamb  fail  him  w^hile  trying  to  rescue  a  nation  ? 
Would  that  God  that  had  sustained  him  when  all  that 
was  involved  was  a  trifling  loss  to  his  father  fail  him 
in  a  ccmbat  that  involved  the  salvation  of  Israel  and  the 
honour  of  Israel's  God  ?  Would  He  who  had  subdued 
for  him  the  lion  and  the  bear  when  they  were  but 
obeying  the  instincts  of  their  nature,  humiliate  him  in 
conflict  with  one  who  was  defying  the  armies  of  the 
living  God  ?  The  remembrance  of  this  deliverance 
confirmed  his  faith  and  urged  him  to  the  conflict,  and 
the  victory  which  faith  thus  gained  was  complete. 
It  swept   the   decks  clear  of  every  vestige   of  terror; 


xvii.]  DAVID'S  CONFLICT  WITH  GOLIATH,  285 

it   went   right    to    the   danger,    without   a   particle   of 
misgiving. 

There  are  two  ways  in  which  faith  may  assert  its 
supremacy.  One,  afterwards  very  familiar  to  David, 
is,  when  it  has  first  to  struggle  hard  with  distrust  and 
fear ;  when  it  has  to  come  to  close  quarters  with  the 
suggestions  of  the  carnal  mind,  grapple  with  these  in 
mortal  conflict,  strangle  them,  and  rise  up  victorious 
over  them.  For  most  men,  most  believing  men,  it  is 
only  thus  that  faith  rises  to  her  throne.  The  other 
way  is,  to  spring  to  her  throne  in  a  moment ;  to  assert 
her  authority,  free  and  independent,  utterly  regardless 
of  all  that  would  hamper  her,  as  free  from  doubt  and 
misgiving  as  a  little  child  in  his  father's  arms,  conscious 
that  whatever  is  needed  that  father  will  provide.  It 
was  this  simple,  child-like,  but  most  triumphant  exercise 
of  faith  that  David  showed  in  undertaking  this  conflict. 
Happy  they  who  are  privileged  with  such  an  attain- 
ment 1  Only  let  us  beware  of  despairing  if  we  cannot 
attain  to  this  prompt,  instinctive  faith.  Let  us  fall 
back  with  patience  on  that  other  process  where  we 
have  to  fight  in  the  first  instance  with  our  fears  and 
misgivings,  driving  them  from  us  as  David  had  often 
to  do  afterwards  :  *'  Why  art  thou  cast  down,  O  my 
soul,  and  why  art  thou  disquieted  in  me  ?  Hope  in 
God,  for  I  will  yet  praise  Him  who  is  the  health  of 
my  countenance  and  my  God." 

And  now  David  prepared  himself  for  the  contest 
Saul,  ever  carnal,  and  trusting  only  in  carnal  devices, 
is  fain  to  clothe  him  in  his  armour,  and  David  makes 
trial  of  his  coat  of  mail;  but  he  is  embarrassed  by  a 
heavy  covering  to  which  he  is  not  accustomed,  and 
which  only  impedes  the  freedom  of  his  arm.  It  is  plain 
enough  that  it  is  not  in  Saul's  panoply  that  he  can  nieet 


286  THE  FiKSr  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL. 

the  Philistine.  He  must  fall  back  on  simpler  means. 
Choosing  five  smooth  stones  out  of  the  brook,  with  his 
shepherd's  staff  in  one  hand  and  his  sling  in  the  other, 
he  drew  near  to  the  Philistine.  When  Goliath  saw  him 
no  words  were  bitter  enough  for  his  scorn.  He  had 
sought  a  warrior  to  fight  with;  he  gets  a  boy  to  annihilate. 
It  is  a  paltry  business.  "  Come  to  me,  and  I  will  give 
thy  flesh  to  the  fowls  of  the  air  and  to  the  beasts  of  the 
fields."  'Thus  saith  the  Lord,  Let  not  the  wise  man 
glory  in  his  wisdom,  neither  let  the  mighty  man  glory 
in  his  might."  Was  ever  such  proof  given  of  the  sin 
and  folly  of  boasting  as  in  the  case  of  Goliath  ?  And  yet, 
as  we  should  say,  how  natural  it  was  for  Goliath  !  But 
pride  goeth  before  destruction,  and  a  haughty  spirit  before 
a  fall.  In  the  spiritual  conflict  it  is  the  surest  presage  of 
defeat.  It  was  the  Goliath  spirit  that  puffed  up  St.  Peter 
when  he  said  to  his  Master,  **  Lord,  I  will  go  with  Thee 
to  prison  and  to  death."  It  is  the  same  spirit  against 
which  St.  Paul  gives  his  remarkable  warning,  "Let  him 
that  thinketh  he  standeth  take  heed  lest  he  fall."  Can 
it  be  said  that  it  is  a  spirit  that  Churches  are  always 
free  from  ?  Are  they  never  tempted  to  boast  of  the 
talents  of  their  leading  men,  the  success  of  their 
movements,  and  their  growing  power  and  influence  in 
the  community  ?  And  does  not  God  in  His  providence 
constantly  show  the  sin  and  folly  of  such  boasting? 
'^Because  thou  sayest,  I  am  rich  and  increased  with 
goods,  and  have  need  of  nothing,  and  knowest  not  that 
thou  art  wretched,  and  miserable,  and  poor,  and  blind, 
and  naked." 

In  beautiful  contrast  with  the  scornful  self-confidence 
of  Goliath  was  the  simplicity  of  spirit  and  the  meek, 
humble  reliance  on  God,  apparent  in  David's  answer : 
"  TJiou  comest  to  me  with  a  sword,  and  with  a  spear, 


xvii.]        DAVID'S  Conflict  with  goliath,         287 

and  with  a  shield ;  but  I  come  to  thee  in  the  name  of 
the  Lord  of  hosts,  the  God  of  the  armies  of  Israel,  whom 
thoi  hast  defied.  This  day  will  the  Lord  deliver  thee 
into  my  hand ;  and  I  will  smite  thee,  and  take  thine 
head  from  thee ;  and  I  will  give  the  carcases  of  the 
Philistines  this  day  to  the  fowls  of  the  air  and  to  the 
wild  beasts  of  the  earth,  that  all  the  earth  may  know 
that  there  is  a  God  in  Israel.  And  all  this  assembly 
shall  know  that  the  Lord  saveth  not  with  sword  and 
spear;  for  the  battle  is  the  Lord's,  and  He  will  give 
you  into  our  hand." 

What  a  reality  God  was  to  David  !  He  advanced 
"as  seeing  Him  who  is  invisible."  Guided  by  the  wisdom 
of  God,  he  chose  his  method  of  attack,  with  all  the 
simplicity  and  certainty  of  genius.  Conscious  that  God 
was  with  him,  he  fearlessly  met  the  enemy.  A  man 
of  less  faith  might  have  been  too  nervous  to  take  the 
proper  aim.  Undisturbed  by  any  fear  of  missing,  David 
hurls  the  stone  from  his  sling,  hits  the  giant  on  the 
unprotected  part  of  his  forehead,  and  in  a  moment  has 
him  reeling  on  the  ground.  Advancing  to  his  prostrate 
foe,  he  seizes  his  sword,  cuts  off  his  head,  and  affords 
to  both  friends  and  foes  unmistakable  evidence  thaf 
his  opponent  is  dead.  Rushing  from  their  tents,  thv-, 
Philistines  fly  tov/ards  their  own  country,  hotly  pursued 
by  the  Israelites.  It  was  in  these  pursuits  of  flying 
foes  that  the  greatest  slaughter  occurred  in  those  Eastern 
countries,  and  the  whole  road  was  strewn  with  the 
dead  bodies  of  the  foe  to  the  very  gates  of  Ekron  and 
Gaza.  In  this  pursuit,  however,  David  did  not  mingle. 
With  the  head  of  the  Philistine  in  his  hands,  he  came 
to  Saul.  It  is  said  that  afterwards  he  took  the  head  of 
Goliath  to  Jerusalem,  which  was  then  occupied,  at  least 
in  par*-,  by  the  Benjamites  (Judges  i.  21),  though  the 


288  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL, 

Stronghold  of  Zion  was  in  the  hands  of  the  Jebusites 
(2  Sam.  V.  7).  We  do  not  know  why  Jerusalem  was 
chosen  for  depositing  this  ghastly  trophy.  All  that  it  is 
necessary  to  say  in  relation  to  this  is,  that  seeing  it 
was  only  the  stronghold  of  Zion  that  is  said  to  have 
been  held  by  the  Jebusites,  there  is  no  ground  for  the 
objection  which  some  critics  have  taken  to  the  narrative 
that  it  cannot  be  correct,  since  Jerusalem  was  not  yet 
in  the  hands  of  the  Israelites. 

It  cannot  be  doubted  that  David  continued  to  hold 
the  same  conviction  as  before  the  battle,  that  it  was 
not  he  that  conquered,  but  God.  We  cannot  doubt 
that  after  the  battle  he  showed  the  same  meek  and 
humble  spirit  as  before.  Whatever  surprise  his  victory 
might  be  to  the  tens  of  thousands  who  witnessed  it,  it 
was  no  surprise  to  him.  He  knew  beforehand  that  he 
could  trust  God,  and  tb.e  result  showed  that  he  was 
right.  But  that  very  spirit  of  implicit  trust  in  God  by 
which  he  was  so  thoroughly  influenced  kept  him  from 
taking  any  of  the  glory  to  himself.  God  had  chosen 
him  to  be  I  lis  instrument,  but  he  had  no  credit  from 
the  victory  for  himself.  His  feeling  that  day  was  the 
very  same  as  his  feeling  at  the  close  of  his  military 
life,  when  the  Lord  had  delivered  him  out  of  the  hand 
of  all  his  enemies  : — "  The  Lord  is  my  rock,  my  fortress, 
and  my  deliverer;  the  God  of  my  rock,  in  Him  will  I 
trust ;  He  is  my  shield  and  the  horn  of  my  salvation, 
my  high  tower  and  my  refuge,  my  saviour;  Thou 
savcst  me  from  violence." 

While  David  was  preparing  to  fight  with  the  Philis- 
tine, Saul  asked  Abner  whose  son  he  was.  Strange 
to  say,  neither  Abner  nor  any  one  else  could  tell.  Nor 
could  the  question  be  answered  till  David  came  back 
from  his  victory,  and  told  the  king  that  he  was  the  son 


xvii.]  DAVID'S   CONFLICT   WITH  GOLIATH 


289 


of  Jesse  the  Bethlchemite.     We  have  already  remarked 
that  it  was  strange  that  Saul  should  not  have  recog- 
nized him,  inasmuch  as  he  had  formerly  given  attendance 
on  the  king  to  drive  away  his  evil  spirit  by  means  of 
his  harp.     In  explanation  it  has  been  urged  by  some 
that   David's  visit   or  visits  to  Saul  at  that  time  may 
have  been  very  brief,  and  as  years  may  have  elapsed 
since  his  last  visit,  his  appearance  may  have  so  changed 
as    to   prevent   recognition.     On    the    part   of  others, 
another  explanation  has  been  offered.     Saul  may  have 
recognized    David    at   first,   but   he  did   not  know  his 
family.     Now  that  there  was  a  probability  of  his  be- 
coming the  king's  son-in-law,  it  was  natural  that  Saul 
should    be   anxious   to   know   his    connections.      The 
question  put  to  Abner  was,  Whose  son  is  this  youth  ? 
The  commission  given  to  him  was  to  enquire  "  whose 
son  the  stripling  is."     And  the  information  given  by 
David  was,   "  I   am  the  son  of  thy  servant  /esse  the 
Bethlehemite."     It   may   be  added  that  there  is  some 
difficulty  about  the  text  of  this  chapter.     It  seems  as  if 
somehow  two  independent  accounts  of  David  had  been 
mixed  together.     And  in  one  important  version  of  the 
Septuagint  several  passages  that  occur  in  the  received 
text  are  omitted,  certainly  with  the  result  of  removing 
some  difficulties  as  the  passage  stands. 

It  is  not  possible  to  read  this  chapter  without  some 
thought  of  the  typical  character  of  David,  and  indeed 
the  typical  aspect  of  the  conflict  in  which  he  was  now 
engaged.  We  find  an  emblematic  picture  of  the  con- 
quest of  Messiah  and  His  Church.  The  self-confident 
boasting  of  the  giant,  strong  in  the  resources  of  carnal 
might,  and  incapable  of  appreciating  the  unseen  and 
invincible  power  of  a  righteous  man  in  a  righteous 
cause,  is  precisely  the  spirit  in  which  opposition  to 
VOL.  I.  ,^ 


290  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL, 

Christ  has  been  usually  given,  "  Let  us  break  their 
bands  asunder,  and  cast  away  their  cords  from  us." 
The  contempt  shown  for  the  lowly  appearance  of  David, 
the  undisguised  scorn  at  the  notion  that  through  such 
a  stripling  any  deliverance  could  come  to  his  people, 
has  its  counterpart  in  the  feeling  towards  Christ  and 
His  Gospel  to  which  the  Apostle  alludes  :  "  We  preach 
Christ  crucified,  to  the  Jews  a  stumbhng-block,  and  to 
the  Greeks  fooHsbness."  The  calm  self-possession  of 
David,  the  choice  of  simple  but  suitable  means,  and  the 
thorough  reliance  on  Jehovah  which  enabled  him  to 
conquer,  were  all  exemplified,  in  far  higher  measure, 
in  the  moral  victories  of  Jesus,  and  they  are  still  the 
weapons  which  enable  His  people  to  overcome.  The 
sword  of  Goliath  turned  against  himself,  the  weapon 
by  which  he  was  to  annihilate  his  foe,  employed  by 
that  very  foe  to  sever  his  head  from  his  body,  was 
an  emblem  of  Satan's  weapons  turned  by  Christ  against 
Satan,  "  through  death  he  destroyed  him  that  had  the 
power  of  death,  and  delivered  them  who  all  their  life- 
time were  subject  to  bondage."  The  representative 
character  of  David,  fighting,  not  for  himself  alone  but 
the  whole  nation,  was  analogous  to  the  representativ- 
character  of  Christ.  And  the  shout  that  burst  fronj 
the  ranks  of  Israel  and  Judah  when  they  saw  the 
champion  of  the  Philistines  fall,  and  the  enemy  betake 
themselves  in  consternation  to  flight,  foreshadowed 
the  joy  of  redeemed  men  when  the  reality  of  Christ's 
salvation  flashes  on  their  hearts,  and  they  see  the 
enemies  that  have  been  harassing  them  repulsed  and 
scattered — a  joy  to  be  immeasurably  magnified  when 
all  enemies  are  finally  conquered,  and  the  loud  voice  is 
heard  in  heaven,  "  N^ow  is  come  salvation,  and  strength, 
and  the  kingdom  of  our  God  and  the  power  of  His 


xvii.]  DAVID'S  CONFLICT  F/ITB  GOLIATH.  291 

Christ ;  for  the  accuser  of  our  brethren  is  cast  down, 
that  accused  them  before  our  God  day  and  night." 

Lastly,  while  we  are  instructed  by  the  study  of  this 
conflict,  let  us  be  animated  by  it  too.  Let  us  learn 
never  to  quail  at  carnal  might  arrayed  against  the  cause 
of  God.  Let  us  never  fear  to  attack  sin,  however 
apparently  invincible  it  may  be.  Be  it  sin  within  or 
sin  without,  sin  in  our  hearts  or  sin  in  the  world,  let 
us  go  boldly  at  it,  strong  in  the  might  of  God.  That 
God  who  delivered  David  from  the  paw  of  the  wild 
beast,  and  from  the  power  of  the  giant,  will  make  us 
more  than  conquerors — will  enable  us  to  spoil  "  princi- 
palities and  powers  and  triumph  openly  over  them." 


CHAPTER    XXV. 

SA UnS  JEALO US Y—DA  VID'S  MARRIA GE. 
I  Samuel  xviii. 

THE  conqueror  of  Goliath  had  been  promised,  a' 
his  reward,  the  eldest  daughter  of  the  king  ir 
marriage.  The  fulfilment  of  that  promise,  if  not  utterly 
neglected,  was  at  least  de]a3^ed  ;  but  if  David  lost  the 
hand  of  the  king's  daughter,  he  gained,  what  could  not 
have  been  promised — the  heart  of  the  king's  son.  It 
was  little  wonder  that  ^'  the  soul  of  Jonathan  was  knit 
with  the  soul  of  David,  and  Jonathan  loved  him  as 
his  own  soul."  Besides  all  else  about  David  that  was 
attractive  to  Jonathan  as  it  was  attractive  to  every  one, 
there  was  that  strongest  of  all  bonds,  the  bond  of  a 
common,  all-prevailing  faith,  faith  in  the  covenant  God 
of  Israel,  that  had  now  shown  itself  in  David  in  over- 
whelming strength,  as  it  had  shown  itself  in  Jonathan 
some  time  before  at  Michmash. 

To  Jonathan  David  must  indeed  have  appeared  a 
man  after  his  own  heart.  The  childlike  simplicity  of 
the  trust  he  had  reposed  in  God  showed  what  a 
profound  hold  his  faith  had  of  him,  how  entirely  it 
ruled  his  hfe.  What  depths  of  congeniality  the  two 
young  men  must  have  discovered  in  one  another ;  in 
what  wonderful  agreement  they  must  have  found  them- 
selves  respecting  the  duty  and  destiny  of  the  Hebrew 


xvhi.]  SAULS  JEALOUSY,  293 


people  !  That  Jonathan  should  have  been  so  fascinated 
at  that  particular  moment  shows  what  a  pure  heart  he 
must  have  had.  If  we  judge  aright,  David's  faith  had 
surpassed  Jonathan's;  David  had  dared  where  Jonath:  n 
had  shrunk ;  and  David's  higher  faith  had  obtained 
the  distinction  that  might  naturally  have  been  expected 
to  fall  to  Jonathan.  Yet  no  shadow  of  jealousy  darkens 
Jonathan's  brow.  Never  were  hands  more  cordially 
grasped ;  never  were  congratulations  more  warmly 
uttered.  Is  there  anything  so  beautiful  as  a  beautiful 
heart  ?  After  well-nigh  three  thousand  years,  we  are 
still  thrilled  by  the  noble  character  of  Jonathan,  and 
well  were  it  for  every  young  man  that  he  shared  in 
some  degree  hi?  high  nobility.  Self-seekers  and  self- 
pleasers,  look  at  him — and  be  ashamed. 

The  friendship  between  David  and  Jonathan  will  fall 
to  be  adverted  to  afterwp^rds ;  meanwhile  we  follow  the 
course  of  events  as  they  are  detailed  in  this  chapter. 

One  thing  that  strikes  u?  very  forcibly  in  this  part 
of  David's  history  is  the  rapidity  with  which  pain  and 
peril  followed  the  splendid  achievement  which  had 
raised  him  so  high.  The  malignant  jealousy  of  Saul 
towards  him  appears  to  have  sprung  up  almost  imme- 
diately after  the  slaughter  of  Goliath.  *'  When  David 
was  returned  from  the  slaughter  of  the  Philistine,  the 
women  came  out  of  all  the  cities  of  Israel,  singing  and 
dancing,  to  meet  King  Saul,  with  tabrets,  with  joy,  and 
with  instruments  of  music.  And  the  women  answered 
one  another  as  they  played,  saying,  Saul  hath  slain  his 
thousands,  and  David  his  ten  thousands.  And  Saul 
was  very  wroth,  and  the  saying  displeased  him ;  and 
he  said,  They  have  ascribed  to  DaWd  ten  thousands, 
and  to  me  they  have  ascribed  but  thousands ;  and  what 
can  he  have  more  but  tlie  kingdom  ?     And  Saul  eyed 


294  TUE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL. 

David  from  that  day  and  forward."  This  statement 
seems  (like  so  many  other  statements  in  Scripture 
narratives)  to  be  a  condensed  one,  embracing  things 
that  happened  at  different  times ;  it  appears  to  denote 
that  as  soon  as  David  returned  from  kilhng  Goliath  his 
name  began  to  be  introduced  by  the  women  into  their 
songs ;  and  when  he  returned  from  the  expeditions  to 
which  Saul  appointed  him  when  he  set  him  over  the 
men  of  war,  and  in  which  he  was  wonderfully  success- 
ful, then  the  women  introduced  the  comparison,  which 
so  irritated  Saul,  between  Saul's  thousands  and  David's 
ten  thousands.  The  truth  is,  that  David's  experience, 
while  Saul  continued  to  be  his  persecutor,  was  a 
striking  commentary  on  the  vanity  of  human  life, — 
on  the  singularly  tantahzing  way  in  which  the  most 
splendid  prizes  are  often  snatched  from  men's  hands 
as  soon  as  they  have  secured  them,  and  when  they 
might  reasonably  have  expected  to  enjoy  their  fruits. 
The  case  of  a  conqueror  killed  in  the  very  moment 
of  victory — of  a  Wolfe  falling  on  the  Plains  of  Quebec, 
just  as  his  victory  made  Britain  mistress  of  Canada;  of 
a  Nelson  expiring  on  the  deck  of  his  ship,  just  as  the 
enemy's  fleet  was  helplessly  defeated, — these  are  touch'^ 
ing  enough  instances  of  the  deceitfulness  of  fortune  in 
the  highest  moments  of  expected  enjoyment.  But  there 
is  something  more  touching  still  in  the  early  history  of 
David.  Raised  to  an  eminence  which  he  never  courted 
or  dreamt  of,  just  because  he  had  such  trust  in  God 
and  such  regard  for  his  country;  manifesting  in  his 
new  position  all  that  modesty  and  all  that  dutifulness 
which  had  marked  him  while  his  name  was  still  un- 
known ;  taking  his  life  in  his  hand  and  plunging  into 
toils  and  risks  innumerable  just  because  he  desired  to 
be  of  service  to  Saul  and  his  country, — surely,  if  any 


xviiL]  ^.-1 UVS  JEALO US V.  295 


man  deserved  a  comfortable  home  and  a  tranquil  mind 
David  was  that  man.  That  David  should  have  become 
the  worst  treated  and  most  persecuted  man  of  his  day  ; 
that  for  years  and  years  he  should  have  been  maligned 
and  hunted  down,  with  but  a  step  between  him  and 
death ;  that  the  very  services  that  ought  to  have 
brought  him  honour  should  have  plunged  him  into  dis- 
grace, and  the  noble  qualities  that  ought  to  have  made 
him  the  king's  most  trusty  counsellor  should  have  made 
him  a  fugitive  and  an  outlaw  from  his  presence, — all 
that  is  very  strange.  It  would  have  been  a  great  trial 
to  any  man ;  it  was  a  peculiar  trial  to  a  Hebrew.  For 
under  the  Hebrew  economy  the  principle  of  temporal 
rewards  and  punishments  had  a  prominence  beyond  the 
common.  Why  was  this  principle  reversed  in  the  case 
of  David  ?  Why  was  one  who  had  been  so  exemplary 
doomed  to  such  humihation  and  trial, — doomed  to  a 
mode  of  life  which  seemed  more  suitable  for  a  miscreant 
than  for  the  man  after  God's  own  heart  ? 

The  answer  to  this  question  cannot  be  mistaken  now. 
But  that  answer  was  not  found  so  readily  in  David's 
time.  David's  early  years  bore  a  close  resemblance  to 
that  period  of  the  career  of  Job  when  the  hand  of  God 
was  heavy  upon  him,  and  thick  darkness  encompassed 
one  on  whose  tabernacle  the  candle  of  the  Lord  had 
previously  shone  very  brightly.  It  pleased  God,  in 
infinite  love,  to  make  David  pass  through  a  long  period 
of  hard  discipline  and  salutary  training  for  the  office  to 
which  he  was  to  be  raised.  The  instances  were  in- 
numerable in  the  East  of  young  men  of  promising  cha- 
racter being  ruined  through  sudden  elevation  to  supreme 
unchallenged  power.  The  case  of  Saul  himself  was  a 
sad  instance  of  this  doleful  effect.  It  pleased  God  to 
take  steps  to  prevent  it  from  happening  in  the  case  of 


296  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL, 


David.  It  is  said  that  when  Alcibiadei^  the  distinguished 
Athenian,  was  young,  Socrates  tried  hard  to  withhold 
him  from  public  life,  and  to  convince  him  that  he 
needed  a  long  course  of  inward  disciphne  before  he 
could  engage  safely  and  usefully  in  the  conduct  of 
public  affairs.  But  Alcibiades  had  no  patience  for  this; 
he  took  his  own  way,  became  his  own  master,  but  with 
the  result  that  he  lost  at  once  true  loftiness  of  aim  and 
all  the  sincerity  of  an  upright  soul.  We  do  not  need, 
however,  to  illustrate  from  mere  human  history  the 
benefits  that  arise  from  a  man  bearing  the  yoke  in 
his  youth.  Even  our  blessed  Lord,  David's  antitype, 
**  though  He  was  a  Son,  yet  learned  He  obedience  by 
the  things  which  He  suffered."  And  how  often  has  the 
lesson  been  repeated  !  What  story  is  more  constantly 
repeated  than,  on  the  one  hand,  that  of  the  young  man 
succeeding  to  a  fortune  in  early  life,  learning  every 
wretched  habit  of  indolence  and  self-indulgence,  be- 
coming the  slave  of  his  lusts,  and  after  a  miserable  life 
sinking  into  a  dishonoured  grave  ?  And  on  the  other, 
how  often  do  we  find,  in  the  biography  of  the  men  who 
have  been  an  honour  to  their  race,  that  their  early  life 
was  spent  amid  struggles  and  acts  of  self-denial  that 
seem  hardly  credible,  but  out  of  which  came  their 
resolute  character  and  grand  conquering  power?  O 
adversity,  thy  features  are  hard,  thy  fingers  are  of  iron, 
thy  look  is  stern  and  repulsive  ;  but  underneath  thy 
hard  crust  there  lies  a  true  heart,  full  of  love  and  full 
of  hope ;  if  only  we  had  grace  to  believe  this,  in  times 
when  we  are  bound  with  affliction  and  iron ;  if  only  we 
had  faith  to  look  forward  a  very  little,  when,  like  the 
patriarch  Job,  we  shall  find  that,  after  all,  He  who 
frames  our  lot  is  ''  very  pitiful  and  of  tender  mercy  "  1 
In  the  case  of  David,  God's  purpose  manifestly  was 


'iii.]  SAUL'S  JEALOUSY. 


297 


to  exercise  and  strengthen  such  qualities  as  trust  in 
God,  prayerfulness,  seif-command,  serenity  of  temper^ 
consideration  for  others,  and  the  hope  of  a  happy  issue 
out  of  all  his  troubles.  His  trials  were  indeed  both 
numerous  and  various.  The  cup  of  honour  dashed 
from  his  lips  when  he  had  just  begun  to  taste  it; 
promises  the  most  solemn  deliberately  violated,  and 
rewards  of  perilous  service  coolly  withheld  from  him  ; 
faithful  services  turned  into  occasions  of  cruel  persecu- 
tion ;  enforced  separation  from  beloved  friends ;  lacera- 
tion of  feelings  from  Saul's  cruel  and  bloody  treatment 
of  some  who  had  befriended  him  ;  calumnious  charges 
persisted  in  after  convincing  and  generous  refutation ; 
ungrateful  treatment  from  those  he  had  benefited,  like 
Nabal ;  treachery  from  those  he  had  delivered,  like  the 
men  of  Keilah  ;  perfidy  on  the  part  of  some  he  had 
trusted,  hke  Cush ;  assassination  threatened  by  some 
of  his  own  followers,  as  at  Ziklag, — these  and  many 
other  trials  were  the  hard  and  bitter  discipline  which 
David  had  to  undergo  in  the  wilderness. 

And  not  only  was  David  thus  prepared  for  the  great 
work  of  his  future  life,  but  as  a  type  of  the  Messiah 
he  foreshadowed  the  deep  humiliation  through  which 
He  was  to  pass  on  His  way  to  His  throne.  He  gave 
the  Old  Testament  Church  a  glimpse  of  the  manner  in 
which  ^'  it  became  Him,  by  whom  are  all  things  and  for 
whom  are  all  things,  in  bringing  many  sons  unto  glory, 
to  make  the  Captain  of  their  salvation  perfect  through 
suffering." 

The  growth  of  the  malignant  passion  of  jealousy  in 
Saul  is  portrayed  in  the  history  in  a  way  painfully 
graphic.  First,  it  is  simply  a  feeling  that  steals 
occasionally  into  his  bosom.  It  needs  some  outward 
c/ccasion  to  excite  it.     Its  first  great  effort  to  establish 


THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL, 


itself  wrs  when  Saul  1  eard  the  Hebrew  women  ascrib- 
ing to  David  ten  times  as  great  a  slaughter  as  they 
ascribed  to  Saul.  We  cannot  but  be  struck  with  the 
ruggedness  of  the  women's  compliment.  To  honour 
David  as  more  ready  to  incur  risk  and  sacrifice  for  his 
country,  even  in  encounters  involving  terrible  bloodshed, 
would  have  been  worthy  of  women,  and  worth}^  of  good 
women ;  but  to  make  the  standard  of  compliment  the 
numiber  of  lives  destroyed,  the  amount  of  blood  shed, 
indicated  surely  a  coarseness  of  feeling,  characteristic 
of  a  somewhat  barbarous  age.  But  the  compliment 
was  quite  significant  to  Saul,  who  saw  in  it  a  proof  of 
the  preference  entertained  for  David,  and  began  to  look 
on  him  as  his  rival  in  the  kingdom.  The  next  step  in 
the  history  of  Saul's  jealousy  is  its  forming  itself  into 
an  evil  habit,  that  needed  no  outward  occasion  to  excite 
it,  but  kept  itself  alive  and  active  by  the  vitality  it  had 
acquired.  ''  And  Saul  eyed  David  from  that  day  and 
forward  "  (ver.  9).  If  Saul  had  been  a  good  man,  he 
would  have  been  horrified  at  the  appearance  of  this 
evil  passion  in  his  heart;  he  would  have  said,  "  Get  thee 
behind  me,  Satan;"  he  would  have  striven  to  the  utmost 
to  strangle  it  in  the  womb.  Oh !  what  untold  mountains 
of  guilt  would  this  not  have  saved  him  in  after  Hfe  !  And 
what  mxountains  of  guilt,  darkening  their  whole  life, 
would  the  policy  of  resistance  and  stamping  out,  when 
an  evil  lust  or  passion  betrays  its  presence  in  their  heart, 
save  to  every  young  man  and  young  woman  who  find 
for  the  first  time  evidence  of  its  vitality  !  But  instead 
of  stamping  it  out,  Saul  nourished  it ;  instead  of  extin- 
guishing the  spark,  he  heaped  fuel  on  the  flame.  And 
his  lust,  having  been  allowed  to  conceive,  was  not  long 
of  bringing  forth.  Under  a  fit  of  his  malady,  even  as 
David  was  playing  to  him  with  his  harp,  he  launched 


: *^i»-]  SJ UVS  JEALO US Y. 


299 


a  javelin  at  him,  no  doubt  in  some  degree  an  act  of 
insanity,  but  yet  betraying  a  very  horrible  spirit. 
Then,  perhaps  afraid  of  himself,  he  removes  David 
from  his  presence,  and  sends  him  out  to  battle  as  a 
captain  of  a  thousand.  But  David  only  gives  fresh 
proofs  of  his  wisdom  and  his  trustworthiness,  and 
establishes  his  hold  more  and  more  on  the  affections 
of  the  people.  The  very  fact  of  his  wisdom,  the  evi- 
dence which  his  steady,  wise,  and  faithful  conduct  affords 
of  God's  presence  with  him,  creates  a  new  restlessness 
in  Saul,  who,  with  a  kind  of  devilish  feeling,  hates 
him  the  more  because  "the  Lord  is  with  him,  and 
is  departed  from  Saul." 

The  next  stage  in  the  career  of  jealousy  is  to  ally 
itself  with  cunning,  under  the  pretence  of  great 
generosity.  "Saul  said  to  David,  Behold  my  elder 
daughter  Merab,  her  will  I  give  thee  to  wife ;  only  be 
thou  valiant  for  me,  and  fight  the  Lord's  battles.  For 
Saul  said.  Let  not  mine  hand  be  upon  him,  but  let  the 
hand  of  the  Philistines  be  upon  him."  But  cunning 
and  treachery  are  close  connections,  and  when  this 
promise  ought  to  have  been  fulfilled,  Merab  was  given 
to  Adriel  the  Meholathite  to  wife.  There  remained 
his  youngrr  daughter  Michal,  who  was  personall3. 
attached  to  David.  "And  Saul  said,  I  will  give  him 
her,  that  she  may  be  a  snare  to  him,  and  that  the 
hand  of  the  Philistines  may  be  against  him."  The 
question  of  dowry  was  a  difficult  one  to  David  ;  but 
on  that  point  the  king  bade  his  servants  set  his  mind 
at  rest.  "The  king  desireth  not  any  dowry,  but  an 
hundred  foreskins  of  the  Philistines,  to  be  avenged  of 
the  king's  enemies.  And  Saul  thought  to  make  David 
fall  by  the  hand  of  the  Philistines." 

Alas  I  the  history  of  Saul's  malignant  passion  is  by 


^oo  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL. 

no  means  exhausted  even  by  these  sad  illustrations 
of  its  rise  and  progress.  It  swells  and  grows,  like  a 
horrid  tumour,  becoming  uglier  and  uglier  continually. 
And  the  notices  are  very  significant  and  instructive 
which  we  find  as  to  the  spiritual  condition  of  Saul,  in 
connection  with  the  development  of  his  passion.  We 
a^e  told  that  the  Lord  was  departed  from  him.  When 
Saul  was  reproved  by  Samuel  for  his  transgression, 
he  showed  no  signs  of  real  repentance,  he  continued 
consciously  in  a  state  of  enmity  with  God,  and  took 
no  steps  to  get  the  quarrel  healed.  He  preferred  the 
kind  of  life  in  which  he  might  please  himself,  though 
he  offended  God,  to  the  kind  of  life  in  which  he  would 
have  pleased  God,  while  he  denied  himself.  And  Saul 
had  to  bear  the  awful  penalty  of  his  choice.  Living  apart 
from  God,  all  the  evil  that  was  in  his  nature  came 
boldly  out,  asserting  itself  without  let  or  hindrance,  and 
going  to  the  terrible  length  of  the  most  murderous  and  at 
the  same  time  the  meanest  projects.  Don't  let  any  one 
imagine  that  religion  has  no  connection  with  morality  ! 
Sham  religion,  as  we  have  already  seen,  may  exist  side 
by  side  with  the  greatest  wickedness ;  but  that  religion, 
the  beginning  of  which  is  the  true  fear  of  God,  a 
genuine  reverential  regard  for  Gcd,  a  true  sense  of  His 
claims  on  us,  alike  as  our  Creator  and  our  Redeemer, — 
that  religion  lays  its  hand  firmly  on  our  moral  nature, 
and  scares  and  scatters  the  devices  of  the  evil  that 
still  remains  in  the  heart.  Let  us  take  warning  at  the 
picture  presented  to  us  in  this  chapter  of  the  terrible 
results,  even  in  the  ordinary  affairs  of  life,  of  the  evil 
heart  of  unbelief  that  departs  from  the  living  God. 
The  other  side  of  the  case,  the  effect  of  a  true  relation 
to  God  in  purifying  and  guiding  the  life,  is  seen  in  the 
case  of  David.     God  being  with  him  in  all  that  he  does, 


xviii.]  DAVID'S  MARRIAGE    TO  MICHAL.  301 

he  is  not  only  kept  from  retaliating  on  Saul,  not  only 
kept  from  all  devices  for  getting  rid  of  one  who  was 
so  unjust  and  unkind  to  himself,  but  he  is  remarkably 
obedient,  remarkably  faithful,  and  by  God's  grace 
remarkably  successful  in  the  work  given  him  to  do. 
It  is  indeed  a  beautiful  period  of  David's  life — th; 
most  blameless  and  beautiful  of  any.  The  object  of 
unmerited  hatred,  the  victim  of  atrocious  plots,  the 
helpless  object  of  a  despot's  mad  and  ungoverned  fury, 
yet  cherishing  no  trace  of  bitter  feeling,  dreaming  of 
no  violent  project  of  relief,  but  going  out  and  in  with 
perfect  loyalty,  and  straining  every  nerve  to  prove 
himself  a  laborious,  faithful,  and  useful  servant  of  the 
master  who  loathed  him. 

The  question  of  David's  marriage  is  a  somewhat 
difficult  one,  appearing  to  involve  some  contradictions. 
First  of  all  we  read  that  a  daughter  of  Saul,  along  v^th 
great  riches,  had  been  promised  to  the  man  who  should 
kill  Gohath.  But  after  David  kills  him,  there  is  no 
word  of  this  promise  being  fulfilled,  and  even  after- 
wards, when  the  idea  of  his  being  the  king's  son-in- 
law  is  brought  forward,  there  is  no  hint  that  he  ought 
to  have  been  so  before.  Are  we  to  understand  that  it 
was  an  unauthorized  rumour  that  was  told  to  David 
(ch.  xvii.  25-27)  when  it  was  said  that  the  victor  was  to 
get  these  rewards  ?  Was  it  that  the  people  recalled 
what  had  been  said  by  Caleb  about  Kirjath-sepher,  a 
town  in  that  very  neighbourhood,  and  inferred  that 
surely  Saul  would  give  his  daughter  to  the  conqueror, 
as  Caleb  had  given  his  ?  This  is  perhaps  the  most 
reasonable  explanation,  because  when  David  came  into 
Saul's  presence  nothing  of  the  kind  was  said  to  him  by 
the  king  ;  and  also  because,  if  Saul  had  really  promised 
it,  there  was  no  reason  at  the  time  why  he  should  not 


302  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL. 

have  kept  his  promise  ;  nay,  the  impulsive  nature  oi 
the  king,  and  the  great  love  of  Jonathan  toward  David, 
and  the  love  with  which  David  inspired  women,  would 
rather  have  led  Saul  to  be  forward  in  fulfilling  it,  and 
in  constituting  a  connection  which  would  then  have 
been  pleasant  to  all.  If  it  be  said  that  this  would  have 
been  a  natural  thing  for  Saul  to  do,  even  had  there 
been  no  promise,  the  answer  is  that  David  was  such  a 
stripling,  and  even  in  his  father's  household  occupied 
so  humble  a  place,  as  to  make  it  reasonable  that  he 
should  wait,  and  gain  a  higher  position,  before  any 
such  thing  should  be  thought  of.  Accordingly,  when 
David  became  older,  and  acquired  distinction  as  a 
warrior,  his  being  the  king's  son-in-law  had  become 
quite  feasible.  First,  Saul  proposes  to  give  him  his 
elder  daughter  Merab.  The  murderous  desire  dictates 
the  proposal,  for  Saul  already  desires  David's  death, 
though  he  has  not  courage  himself  to  strike  the  blow. 
But  when  the  time  came,  for  seme  reason  that  we  do 
not  know  of  Merab  was  given  to  Adriel  the  Meholathite. 
David's  action  at  an  after  period  showed  that  he  regarded 
this  as  a  cruel  wrong  (2  Sam.  iii.  13).  Saul,  however, 
still  desired  to  have  that  hold  on  David  which  his  being 
his  son-in-law  would  have  involved,  and  now  proposed 
that  Michal  his  younger  daughter  should  be  his  wife. 
The  proposal  was  accepted,  but  David  could  bring  no 
dowry  for  his  wife.  The  only  dowry  the  king  sought 
was  a  hundred  foreskins  of  the  Philistines.  And  the 
hundred  foreskins  David  paid  down  in  full  tale. 

What  a  distressing  view  these  transactions  give  us 
of  the  malignity  of  Saul's  heart !  When  parents  have 
sacrificed  the  true  happiness  of  their  daughters  by 
pressing  on  them  a  marriage  of  splendid  misery,  the 
motive,  however  selfish  and  heartless,  has  not  usually 


<<riii.]  DAVID'S   MARRIAGE    TO  MIC  HAL.  30.3 

been  malignant.  The  marriage  which  Saul  urged 
between  David  and  Michal  was  indeed  a  marriage  of 
affection,  but  as  far  as  he  was  concerned  his  sin  in 
desiring  it,  as  affording  facilities  for  getting  rid  of  him, 
was  on  that  account  all  the  greater.  For  nothing 
shows  a  wickeder  heart  than  being  willing  to  involve 
another,  and  especially  one's  own  child,  in  a  lifelong 
sorrow  in  order  to  gratify  some  feeling  of  one's  own. 
Saul  was  not  merely  trifling  with  the  heart  and  happi- 
ness of  his  child,  but  he  was  deliberately  sacrificing 
both  to  his  vile  passion.  The  longer  he  lives,  Saul 
becomes  blacker  and  blacker.  For  such  are  they  from 
whom  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  has  departed. 

We  may  well  contrast  David  and  Saul  at  this  period 
of  their  lives  ;  but  what  a  strange  thing  it  is  that  further 
on  in  life  David  should  have  taken  this  leaf  from  Saul's 
book,  and  acted  in  this  very  spirit  towards  Uriah  the 
Hittite  ?  Not  that  Uriah  was,  or  was  to  be,  son-in-law 
to  the  king ;  alas  !  there  was  an  element  of  blackness  in 
the  case  of  David  which  did  not  exist  in  that  of  Saul ; 
but  it  was  in  the  very  spirit  now  manifested  by  Saul 
towards  himself  that  David  availed  himself  of  Uriah's 
bravery,  of  Uriah's  faithfulness,  of  Uriah's  chivalrous 
readiness  to  undertake  the  most  perilous  expeditions — 
availed  himself  of  these  to  compass  his  death.  What 
do  we  learn  from  this  ?  The  same  seeds  of  evil  were 
in  David's  heart  as  in  Saul's.  But  at  the  earlier  period 
of  David's  life  he  walked  humbly  with  God,  and  God's 
Spirit  poured  out  on  him  not  only  restrained  the  evil 
seed,  but  created  a  pure,  holy,  devoted  life,  as  if  there 
were  nothing  in  David  but  good.  Afterwards,  grieving 
the  Holy  Spirit,  David  was  left  for  a  time  to  himself, 
and  then  the  very  evil  that  had  been  so  offensive  in  Saul 
came  creeping  forth  drew  itself  up  and  claimed  that  it 


304  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL. 

should  prevail.  It  was  a  blessed  thing  for  David  that 
he  was  not  beyond  being  arrested  by  God's  voice,  and 
humbled  by  His  reproof.  He  saw  whither  he  had  been 
going;  he  saw  the  emptiness  and  wickedness  of  his 
heart ;  he  saw  that  his  salvation  depended  on  God  in 
infinite  mercy  forgiving  his  sin  and  restoring  His  Spirit, 
and  for  these  blessings  he  pled  and  wrestled  as  Jacob 
had  wrestled  with  the  angel  at  Peniel.  So  we  may  well 
see  that  for  any  one  to  trust  in  his  heart  is  to  play  the 
fool  ;  our  only  trust  must  be  in  Him  who  is  able  to  keep 
us  from  falling,  and  to  present  us  faultless  before  the 
presence  of  His  glory  wdth  exceeding  joy.  "  He  that 
abideth  in  Me,  and  I  in  him,  the  same  bringeth  foHh 
much  fruit,  for  without  Me  ye  can  do  nothing.  If  a  man 
abide  not  in  Me,  he  is  cast  forth  as  a  root  and  withered, 
and  men  take  them  and  cast  them  into  the  fire  and  they 
are  burned^ 


CHAPTER   XXVI. 

SAUnS  FURTHER  EFFORTS  AGAINST  DAVID, 
I  Samuel  xix. 

ANEW  Stage  of  his  wicked  passion  is  now  reached 
by  Saul ;  he  communes  with  his  servants,  and 
even  with  his  son,  with  a  view  to  their  killing  David. 
Ordinary  conspirators  are  prone  to  confine  their  evil 
designs  to  their  own  breasts ;  or  if  they  do  have  confi- 
dants, to  choose  for  that  purpose  persons  as  vile  as 
themselves,  whom  they  bind  to  secrecy  and  silence. 
Saul  must  have  been  sadly  overpowered  by  his  passion 
when  he  urged  his  very  son  to  become  a  murderer,  to 
become  the  assassin  of  his  friend,  of  the  man  with 
whom  God  manifestly  dwelt,  and  whom  God  delighted 
to  honour.  It  is  easy  to  understand  what  fine  Sr-il 
would  take  with  Jonathan.  Heir  to  the  throne,  he  as 
specially  affected  by  the  popularity  of  David ;  if  David 
were  disposed  of,  his  seat  would  be  in  no  danger. 
The  generous  prince  did  his  utmost  to  turn  his  father 
from  the  horrid  project:  "He  spake  good  of  David 
unto  Saul,  and  said  unto  him,  Let  not  the  king  sin 
against  his  servant,  against  David  ;  because  he  hath 
not  sinned  against  thee,  and  because  his  works  have 
been  to  thee-ward  very  good.  For  he  did  put  his  life 
in  his  hand,  and  slew  the  Philistine,  and  the  Lord 
wrought  a  great  salvation  for  all  Israel :  thou  sawest  it 
vol..  I.  20 


3o6  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL, 

and  didst  rejoice  :  wherefore  then  wilt  thou  sin  against 
innocent  blood,  to  slay  David  without  a  cause  ?  "  For 
the  moment  the  king  was  touched  by  the  intercession 
of  Jonathan.  Possibly  he  was  rebuked  by  the  burst 
of  generosity  and  affection, — a  spirit  so  opposite  to  his 
own ;  possibly  he  was  impressed  by  Jonathan's  argu- 
ment, and  made  to  feel  that  David  was  entitled  to  very 
different  treatment.  For  the  time,  the  purpose  of  Saul 
was  arrested,  and  ''  David  was  in  his  presence  as  in 
times  past."  "Ofttimes,"  says  Bishop  Hall,  '' wicked 
men's  judgments  are  forced  to  yield  unto  that  truth 
against  which  their  affections  maintain  a  rebellion. 
Even  the  foulest  hearts  do  sometimes  retain  good 
notions ;  like  as,  on  the  contrary,  the  holiest  souls  give 
way  sometimes  to  the  suggestions  of  evil.  The  flashes 
of  lightning  may  be  discerned  in  the  darkest  prison. 
But  if  good  thoughts  look  into  a  wicked  heart,  they 
stay  not  there ;  as  those  that  like  not  their  lodging, 
they  are  soon  gone ;  hardly  anything  distinguishes 
between  good  and  evil  but  continuance.  The  light  that 
shines  into  a  holy  heart  is  constant,  like  that  of  the 
sun,  which  keeps  due  times,  and  varies  not  his  course 
for  any  of  these  sublunary  occasions." 

But,  as  the  heathen  poet  said,  '*  You  may  expel 
nature  with  a  thunderbolt,  but  it  always  returns."  The 
evil  spirit,  the  demon  of  jealousy,  returned  to  Saul. 
And  strange  to  say,  his  jealousy  was  such  that  nothing 
was  more  fitted  to  excite  it  than  eminent  service  to 
his  country  on  the  part  of  David.  A  new  campaign 
had  opened  against  the  Philistines.  David  had  had  a 
splendid  victory.  He  slew  them  with  a  great  slaughter, 
so  that  they  fled  beiore  him.  We  may  be  sure  that  in 
these  circumstances  the  songs  of  the  women  woi.ild 
swell    out    in    heartier    chorus    than   ever.     And    in 


xix.]    SA  UVS  FUR  THER  EFFOR  TS  A  GA INST  DA  VID,    307 


Saul's  breast  the  old  jealousy  burst  out  again,  and 
sprang  to  power.  A  fit  of  his  evil  spirit  was  on  him, 
and  David  was  playing  on  his  harp  in  order  to  beguile 
it  away.  He  sees  Saul  seize  a  javelin,  he  instinctively 
knows  the  purpose,  and  springs  aside  just  as  the  javelin 
flies  past  and  lodges  in  the  wall.  The  danger  is  too 
serious  to  be  encountered  any  longer.  David  escapes 
to  his  house,  but  hardly  before  messengers  from  Saul 
have  arrived  to  watch  the  door,  and  slay  him  in  the 
morning.  Knowing  her  father's  plot,  Michal  warns 
David  that  if  he  does  not  make  his  escape  that  night 
his  life  is  sure  to  go. 

Michal  lets  him  down  through  a  window,  and  David 
makes  his  escape.  Then,  to  give  him  a  sufficient  start, 
and  prolong  the  time  a  little,  she  has  recourse  to  one 
of  those  stratagems  of  which  Rebecca,  and  Rahab,  and 
Jeroboam's  wife,  and  many  another  woman  have  shown 
themselves  mistresses — she  gets  up  a  tale,  and  pre- 
tends to  the  messengers  that  David  is  sick.  The  men 
carry  back  the  message  to  their  master.  There  is  a 
peculiar  ferocity,  an  absolute  brutality,  in  the  king's 
next  order,  '*  Bring  him  up  to  me  in  the  bed  that  I  may 
slay  him."  Evidently  he  was  enraged,  and  he  either 
felt  that  it  would  be  a  satisfaction  to  murder  David  with 
his  own  hand  when  unable  to  defend  himself,  or  he 
saw  that  his  servants  could  not  be  trusted  with  the 
dastardly  business.  The  messengers  enter  the  house, 
and  instead  of  David  they  find  an  image  in  the  bed, 
with  a  pillow  of  goat's  hair  for  his  bolster.  When 
Michal  is  angrily  reproached  by  her  father  for  letting 
him  escape,  she  parries  the  blow  by  a  falsehood — 
''He  said  unto  me.  Let  me  go;  why  should  I  kill 
thee?" 

On  this  somewhat  mean  conduct  of  hers  a  light  is 


3o8  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL. 

incidentally  shed  by  the  mention  of  the  image  which  she 
placed  in  the  bed  in  order  to  personate  David.  What 
sort  of  image  was  it?  The  original  shows  that  it 
was  one  of  the  class  called  "  teraphim  " — images  which 
were  kept  and  used  by  persons  who  in  the  main 
worshipped  the  one  true  God.  They  were  not  such 
idols  as  represented  Baal  or  Ashtoreth  or  Moloch,  but 
images  designed  to  aid  in  the  worship  of  the  God  of 
Israel.  The  use  of  them  was  not  a  breach  of  the  first 
commandment,  but  it  was  a  breach  of  the  second. 
We  see  plainly  that  David  and  his  wife  were  not  one 
in  religion ;  there  was  discord  there.  The  use  of 
the  images  implied  an  unspiritual  or  superstitious  state 
of  mind  ;  or  at  least  a  mind  more  disposed  to  follow 
its  own  fancies  as  to  the  way  of  worshipping  God 
than  to  have  a  severe  and  strict  regard  to  the  rule 
of  God.  It  is  impossible  to  suppose  that  David  could 
have  either  used,  or  countenanced  the  use  of  these 
images.  God  was  too  much  a  spiritual  reality  to  him 
to  allow  such  material  media  of  worship  to  be  even 
thought  of.  He  knew  too  much  of  worship  inspired  by 
the  Spirit  to  dream  of  worship  inspired  by  shapes  of 
wood  or  stone.  When  we  read  of  these  images  we 
are  not  surprised  at  the  defects  of  character  which  we 
see  in  Michal.  That  she  loved  David  and  had  pleasure 
in  his  company  there  is  no  room  to  doubt.  But  their 
union  was  not  the  union  of  hearts  that  were  one 
in  their  deepest  feelings.  The  sublimest  exercises  of 
David's  soul  Michal  could  have  no  sympathy  with. 
Afterwards,  when  David  brought  the  ark  from  Kirjath- 
jearim  to  Mount  Zion,  she  m.ocked  his  enthusiasm.  How 
sad  when  hearts,  otherwise  congenial  and  loving,  are 
severed  on  the  one  point  on  which  congeniality  is  of 
deepest  moment )      Agreement    in  earthly    tastes   and 


xix.]    SA  C/L'S  FUR THER  EFtOR TS  A GA INST  DA  VI D.     309 

arrangements,  but  disagreement  in  the  one  thing  need- 
ful— alas,  how  fatal  is  the  drawback  !  Little  blessing 
can  they  expect  who  disregard  this  point  of  difference 
when  they  agree  to  marry.  If  the  one  that  is 
earnest  does  so  in  the  expectation  of  doing  good  to 
the  other,  that  good  is  far  more  likely  to  be  done  by 
a  firm  stand  at  the  beginning  than  by  a  course  which 
may  be  construed  to  mean  that  after  all  the  difference 
is  of  no  great  moment. 

If  the  title  of  the  fifty-ninth  Psalm  can  be  accepted 
as  authentic,  it  indicates  the  working  of  David's  mind 
at  this  period  of  his  history.  It  is  called  ''  Michtam  of 
David,  when  Saul  sent,  and  they  watched  the  house  to 
kill  him."  It  is  not  to  be  imagined  that  it  was  com- 
posed in  the  hurried  interval  between  David  reaching 
his  house  and  Michal  sending  him  away.  That  David 
had  a  short  time  of  devotion  then  we  may  readily 
believe,  and  that  the  exercises  of  his  heart  corresponded 
generally  to  the  words  of  the  psalm,  which  might  be 
committed  afterwards  to  writing  as  a  memorial  of  the 
occasion.  From  the  words  of  the  psalm  it  would 
appear  that  the  messengers  sent  by  Saul  to  apprehend 
him  were  men  of  base  and  cowardly  spirit,  and  that 
they  were  actuated  by  the  same  personal  hatred  to 
him  that  marked  Saul  himself.  No  doubt  the  piety  of 
David  brought  to  him  the  enmity,  and  the  success  of 
David  the  rivalry,  of  many  who  would  be  emboldened 
by  the  king's  avowed  intention,  to  pour  out  their  insults 
and  calumnies  against  him  in  the  most  indecent  fashion. 
Perhaps  it  is  to  show  the  estimate  he  formed  of  their 
spirit,  rather  than  to  denote  literally  their  nationality, 
that  the  Psalmist  calls  on  God  to  "awake  to  visit  all 
the  heathen."  Prowling  about  the  city  under  cloud  of 
darkness    coming  and  going  and  coming  again  to  his 


3IO  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL, 

house,  "  they  return  at  evening ;  they  make  a  noise 
like  a  dog,  and  go  about  the  city.  Behold,  they  belch 
out  with  their  mouth  ;  swords  are  in  their  lips ;  for 
who,  say  they,  doth  hear  ?  "  Thus  showing  his  estimate 
of  his  enemies,  the  Psalmist  manifests  the  most  absolute 
reliance  on  the  protection  and  grace  of  God.  "But 
Thou,  O  Lord,  shalt  laugh  at  them ;  Thou  shalt  have 
all  the  heathen  in  derision.  Because  of  his  strength 
will  I  wait  upon  Thee ;  for  God  is  my  defence.  The 
God  of  my  mercy  shall  prevent  me ;  God  shall  let  me 
see  my  desire  upon  mine  enemies."  He  does  not  ask 
that  they  may  be  slain,  but  he  asks  that  they  may  be 
conspicuously  dishonoured  and  humbled,  and  made  to 
go  about  the  city  like  dogs,  in  another  sense — not  like 
dogs  seeking  to  tear  upright  men  in  pieces,  but  like 
those  starved,  repulsive,  cowardly  brutes,  familiar  in 
Eastern  cities,  that  would  do  anything  for  a  morsel  of 
food.  His  own  spirit  is  serene  and  confident — '*  Unto 
Thee,  O  my  strength,  will  I  sing;  for  God  is  my 
defence,  and  the  God  of  my  mercy." 

It  may  be  that  the  superscription  of  this  psalm  is  not 
authentic,  and  that  the  reference  is  either  to  some  other 
passage  in  David's  life,  or  in  the  life  of  some  other 
psalmist,  when  he  was  especially  exposed  to  the  ravings 
of  a  murderous  and  calumnious  spirit,  and  in  the  midst  of 
unscrupulous  enemies  thirsting  for  his  life.  The  psalm 
is  eminently  fitted  to  express  the  feelings  and  experiences 
of  the  Church  of  Christ  in  times  of  bitter  persecution. 
For  calumny  has  usually  been  the  right-hand  instru- 
ment of  the  persecutor.  To  justify  himself,  he  has 
found  it  necessary  to  denounce  his  victim.  Erroneous 
opinions,  it  is  instinctively  felt,  are  no  such  offence  as 
to  warrant  the  wholesale  spoliation  and  murder  which 
vehement  persecution  calls  for.     Crimes  of  a  horrible 


xix.]    SAUnS  FURTHER  EFfORTS  AGAINST  DAVID.    3U 

description  are  laid  to  the  charge  of  the  persecuted 
And  even  where  the  sword  of  persecution  in  its  naked 
form  is  not  employed,  but  opposition  and  hatred  vent 
themselves  on  the  more  active  servants  of  God  in 
venomous  attacks  and  offensive  letters,  it  is  not  counted 
enough  to  denounce  their  opinions.  They  must  be 
charged  with  meanness,  and  double  dealing,  and  vile 
plots  and  schemes  to  compass  their  ends.  They  are 
spoken  of  (as  St.  Paul  and  his  companions  were)  as  the 
offscourings  of  the  earth,  creatures  only  to  be  hunted 
out  of  sight  and  spoiled  of  all  influence.  Happy  they 
who  can  bear  all  in  the  Psalmist's  tranquil  and  truthful 
spirit;  and  can  sum  up  their  feelings  like  him— ^' I 
will  sing  of  Thy  power;  yea,  I  will  sing  aloud  of  Thy 
mercy  in  the  morning;  for  Thou  hast  been  my  defence 
and  refuge  in  the  day  of  my  trouble." 

But  let  us  return  to  David.  Can  we  think  of  a  more 
desolate  condition  than  that  in  which  he  found  himself 
after  his  wife  let  him  down  through  a  window  ?  It  i» 
night  and  he  is  alone.  Who  could  be  unmoved  when 
place' in  such  a  position?  Forced  to  fly  from  his 
home  and  his  young  wife,  just  after  he  had  begun  to. 
know  their  sweets,  and  no  prospect  of  a  happy  return  ! 
Driven  forth  by  the  murderous  fury  of  the  king  whom 
he  had  served  with  a  loyalty  and  a  devotion  that  could 
not  have  been  surpassed  1  His  home  desolated  and 
his  life  threatened  by  the  father  of  his  wife,  the  man 
whom  even  nature  should  have  inspired  with  a  kindly 
interest  in  his  welfare  I  What  good  had  it  done 
him  that  he  had  slain  that  giant?  What  return  had 
he  got  for  his  service  in  ever  so  often  soothing  the 
nerves  of  the  irritable  monarch  with  the  gentle  warb- 
lings  of  his  harp?  What  good  had  come  of  all  his 
perilous  exploits  against  the  Philistines,  of  the  hundred 


312  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL, 

foreskins  of  the  king's  enemies,  of  the  last  great  victory 
which  had  brought  so  unprecedented  advantage  to 
Israel  ?  Would  it  not  have  been  better  for  him  never 
to  have  touched  a  weapon,  never  to  have  encountered 
a  foe,  but  kept  feeding  that  flock  of  his  father's,  and 
caring  for  those  irrational  creatures,  who  had  always 
returned  his  kindness  with  gratitude,  and  been  far  more 
like  friends  and  companions  than  that  terrible  Saul? 
Such  thoughts  might  perhaps  hover  about  his  bosom, 
but  certainly  they  would  receive  no  entertainment  from 
him.  They  might  knock  at  his  door,  but  they  would 
not  be  admitted.  A  man  like  David  could  never 
seriously  regret  that  he  had  done  his  duty.  He  could 
never  seriously  wish  that  he  had  never  responded  to  the 
call  of  God  and  of  his  country.  But  he  might  well  feel 
how  empty  and  unprofitable  even  the  most  successful 
worldly  career  may  become,  how  maddening  the  changes 
of  fortune,  how  intolerable  the  unjust  retributions  of 
men  in  power.  His  ill-treatment  was  so  atrocious  that, 
had  he  not  had  a  refuge  in  God,  it  might  have  driven 
him  to  madness  or  to  suicide.  It  drove  him  to  the 
throne  of  grace,  where  he  found  grace  to  help  him  in 
his  time  of  need. 

It  was  no  wonder  that  the  fugitive  thought  of  Samuel. 
If  he  could  get  shelter  with  him'  Saul  would  surely  let 
him  alone,  for  Saul  could  have  no  mind  to  meddle 
wath  Samuel  again.  But  more  than  that ;  in  Samuel's 
company  he  would  find  congenial  fellowship,  and  from 
Samuel's  mature  wisdom  and  devotion  to  God's  law 
learn  much  that  would  be  useful  in  after  life.  We  can 
easily  fancy  what  a  cordial  welcome  the  old  prophet 
would  give  the  youthful  fugitive.  Was  not  David  in 
a  sense  his  son,  seeing  that  he  had  chosen  him  from 
among  all  the  sons  of  Jesse,  and  poured  on  him  the 


XIX.]    SAUL'S  FURTHER  EFFORTS  AGAINST  DAVID.     313 


holy  oil  ?  If  an  old  minister  has  a  special  interest  in 
one  whom  he  has  baptized,  how  much  more  Samuel  in 
one  whom  he  had  anointed !  And  there  was  another 
consideration  that  would  have  great  effect  with  Samuel. 
Old  Christians  feel  very  tenderly  for  young  believers 
who  have  had  hard  lines  in  serving  God.  It  moves 
them  much  when  those  on  whom  they  have  very 
earnestly  pressed  God's  ways  have  encountered  great 
trials  in  following  them.  Gladly  would  they  do  any- 
thing in  their  power  to  soothe  and  encourage  them. 
Samuel's  words  to  David  would  certainly  be  words  of 
exceeding  tenderness.  They  must  have  fallen  like  the 
dew  of  Hermon  on  his  fevered  spirit.  Doubtless  they 
would  tend  to  revive  and  strengthen  his  faith,  and  assure 
him  that  God  would  keep  him  amid  all  his  trials,  and  at 
last  set  him  on  high,  because  he  had  known  his  name. 

From  Ramah,  his  ordinary  dwelling-place,  Samuel 
had  gone  with  David  to  Naioth,  perhaps  under  the 
idea  that  they  would  elude  the  eye  of  Saul.  Not  so, 
however.  Word  of  David's  place  of  abode  was  carried 
to  the  king.  Saul  was  deeply  in  earnest  in  his  effort 
to  get  rid  of  David,— surely  a  very  daring  thing  when 
he  must  have  known  God's  purpose  regarding  him. 
Messengers  were  accordingly  sent  to  Naioth.  It  was 
the  seat  of  one  of  the  schools  of  the  prophets,  and 
David  could  not  but  be  deeply  interested  in  the  work 
of  the  place,  and  charmed  with  its  spirit.  Here,  under 
the  wing  of  Samuel,  he  did  dwell  in  safety ;  but  his 
safety  did  not  come  in  the  way  in  which  perhaps  he 
expected.  Saul's  purpose  was  too  deeply  seated  to  be 
affected  by  the  presence  of  Samuel.  Nay,  though  Samuel 
in  all  likelihood  had  told  him  how  God  had  caused 
him  to  anoint  David  as  his  successor,  Saul  determined 
to  drag  him  even  from  the  hands  of  Samuel.     But  Saul 


314  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL, 

never  counted  on  the  form  of  opposition  he  was  to 
encounter.  The  messengers  went  to  Naioth,  but  their 
hearts  were  taken  hold  of  by  the  Spirit  who  was  then 
working  in  such  power  in  the  place,  and  from  soldiers 
they  were  turned  into  prophets.  A  second  batch  of 
messengers  was  sent,  and  with  the  same  result.  A 
third  batch  followed,  and  still  the  same  miraculous 
transformation.  Determined  not  to  be  baffled,  and 
having  probably  exhausted  the  servants  whom  he  could 
trust,  Saul  went  himself  to  Ramah.  But  Saul  was 
proof  no  more  than  his  servants  against  the  marvellous 
spiritual  force  that  swept  all  before  it.  When  he  came 
to  Ramah,  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  was  upon  him,  and 
he  went  on  and  prophesied  all  the  way  from  Ramah 
to  Naioth.  And  there,  stripping  himself  of  his  royal 
robes  and  accoutrements,  he  prophesied  before  Samuel 
in  like  manner,  and  lay  down,  just  as  one  of  the 
prophets,  and  continued  so  a  whole  day  and  night. 
It  was  a  repetition  of  what  had  taken  place  at  "the 
hill  of  God  "  when  Saul  returned  from  his  search  after 
the  asses  (i  Sam.  x.  lO,  ii),  and  it  resuscitated  the 
proverb  that  had  been  first  used  on  that  occasion,  is  Saul 
also  among  the  prophets  ?  Transformed  and  occupied 
as  Saul  was  now,  he  was  in  no  mood  to  carry  out  his 
murderous  project  against  David,  who  in  the  view  of 
this  most  unexpected  form  of  deliverance  might  well 
sing,  ''  My  safety  cometh  from  the  Lord,  who  made 
heaven  and  earth." 

The  question  cannot  but  press  itself  on  us,  What 
was  the  character  of  the  influence  under  which  Saul 
was  brought  on  this  remarkable  occasion  ?  Observe 
the  phenomena  so  far  as  they  are  recorded.  In  the 
first  place,  nothing  is  said  of  any  appeal  to  Saul's  reason 
and  conscience.     In  the  second  place,  no  such  conduct 


xix.]    SA  UnS  FUR  THER  EFFOR  TS  A  GAINST  DA  VID,    3 1 5 

followed  this  experience  as  would  have  followed  it,  had 
his  reason  and  conscience  been  impressed.  He  was 
precisely  the  same  wicked  man  as  before.  In  the  third 
place,  there  is  no  evidence  of  anything  else  having 
taken  place  than  a  sort  of  contagious  impression  being 
produced  on  his  physical  nature,  something  correspond- 
ing to  the  effect  of  mesmerism  or  animal  magnetism. 
In  earnest  religious  movements  of  a  very  solid  charac- 
ter, it  has  been  often  remarked  that  another  unusual 
experience  runs  alongside  of  them  ;  in  some  persons  in 
contact  with  them  a  nervous  susceptibility  is  developed, 
which  sometimes  causes  prostration,  and  sometimes  a 
state  of  trance;  and  it  has  been  found  that  many  persons 
are  liable  to  the  state  of  trance  whose  hearts  and  lives 
are  in  no  way  transformed  by  the  religious  impression. 
It  seems  to  have  been  some  such  experience  that  befell 
Saul.  He  was  entranced,  but  he  was  not  changed. 
He  was  for  the  time  another  man,  but  there  was  no 
permanent  change ;  after  a  time,  his  old  spirit  returned. 
Evidently  he  was  a  man  of  great  nervous  susceptibility, 
and  it  is  plain  from  many  things  that  his  nerves  had  be- 
come weakened.  He  fell  for  the  time  under  the  strong 
influence  of  the  prophetic  company ;  but  David  did  not 
trust  him,  for  he  fled  from  Naioth. 

And  yet,  even  if  this  was  all  that  happened  to  Saul, 
there  was  something  providential  and  merciful  in  it  that 
might  have  led  on  to  better  results.  Was  it  not  in  some 
sense  a  dealing  of  God  with  Saul  ?  Was  it  not  a 
reminder  of  that  better  way  which  Saul  had  forsaken, 
and  in  forsaking  w^hich  he  had  come  to  so  much  guilt 
and  trouble  ?  Was  it  not  a  gracious  indication  that 
even  yet,  if  he  would  return  to  God,  though  he  could 
not  get  back  the  kingdom  he  might  personally  be 
blessed  ?     Whatever  of  this  kind  there  might  be  in  it, 


3i6  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL. 

it  was  trampled  by  Saul  under  foot.  He  had  made  his 
bed,  and,  thorny  though  it  was,  he  was  determined  to 
lie  on  it.  He  would  not  change  his  Hfe ;  he  would  not 
return  to  God. 

Does  not  God,  in  His  merciful  providence,  often  deal 
with  transgressors  as  he  dealt  with  Saul,  placing  them 
in  circumstances  that  make  it  comparatively  easy  for 
them  to  turn  from  their  sins  and  change  their  life  ? 
Your  marriage,  a  death  in  your  circle,  a  change  of  resi- 
dence, a  change  of  fortune,  forming  a  new  acquaintance, 
coming  under  a  new  ministry, — oh  !  friends,  if  there  be 
in  you  the  faintest  dissatisfaction  with  your  past  life, 
the  faintest  desire  for  a  better,  take  advantage  of  the 
opportunity,  and  turn  to  God.  Summon  courage,  break 
with  your  associates  in  sin  (the  loss  will  be  mar- 
vellously small),  give  up  your  dissipated  pleasures, 
betake  yourselves  to  the  great  matters  that  concern 
your  welfare  evermore.  Mark  in  the  providence  that 
gave  you  the  opportunity,  the  kind  hand  of  a  gracious 
Father,  sadly  grieving  over  your  erring  life,  and  longing 
for  your  return.  Harden  not  your  heart  as  in  the  pro- 
vocation in  the  day  of  temptation  in  the  wilderness. 
Don't  drive  the  angel  out  of  your  way,  who  stands  in 
your  path,  as  he  stood  in  Balaam's,  to  stop  your  progress 
in  the  ways  of  sin.  Who  knows  whether  ever  again 
you  shall  have  the  same  opportunity?  And  even  if 
you  have,  is  it  not  certain  that  the  disinclination  you  feel 
now  will  be  stififer  and  stronger  then  ?  Be  a  man,  and 
face  the  irkscme.  Whatever  you  do,  determine  to  do 
right.  It  is  childish  to  stand  shivering  over  a  duty 
which  you  know  ought  to  be  done.  "  Whatsoever  thy 
hand  findeth  to  do,  do  it  with  thy  might ;  for  there  is 
no  work,  nor  device,  nor  knowledge,  nor  wisdom,  in  the 
grave,  whither  thou  goest." 


CHAPTER    XXVII. 

DAVID  AND  JONATHAN, 
I  Samuel  xx. 

WE  have  no  means  of  determining  how  long  time 
elapsed  between  the  events  recorded  in  the 
preceding  chapter  and  those  recorded  in  this.  It  is 
not  unlikely  that  Saul's  experience  at  Naioth  led  to  a 
temporary  improvement  in  his  relations  to  David.  The 
tone  of  this  chapter  leads  us  to  believe  that  at  the 
time  when  it  opens  there  was  some  room  for  doubt 
whether  or  not  Saul  continued  to  cherish  any  deli- 
berate ill-feeling  to  his  son-in-law.  David's  own 
suspicions  were  strong  that  he  did;  but  Jonathan 
appears  to  have  thought  otherwise.  Hence  the  earnest 
conversation  which  the  two  friends  had  on  the  subject ; 
and  hence  the  curious  but  crooked  stratagem  by  which 
they  tried  to  find  out  the  truth. 

But  before  we  go  on  to  this,  it  will  be  suitable  for 
us  at  this  place  to  dwell  for  a  little  on  the  remarkable 
friendship  between  David  and  Jonathan — a  beautiful 
oasis  in  this  wilderness  history, — one  of  the  brightest 
gems  in  this  book  of  Samuel. 

It  was  a  striking  proof  of  the  ever  mindful  and 
considerate  grace  of  God,  that  at  the  very  opening  of 
the  dark  valley  of  trial  through  which  David  had  to 
pass  in  consequence  of  Saul's  jealousy,  he  was  brought 


3i8  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL, 

into  contact  with  Jonathan,  and  in  his  disinterested 
and  sanctified  friendship,  furnished  with  one  of  the 
sweetest  earthly  solaces  for  the  burden  of  care  and 
sorrow.  The  tempest  suddenly  let  loose  on  him  must 
have  proved  too  vehement,  if  he  had  been  left  in  Saul's 
dark  palace  without  one  kind  hand  to  lead  him  on,  or 
the  sympathy  of  one  warm  heart  to  encourage  him ; 
the  spirit  of  faith  might  have  declined  more  seriously 
than  it  did,  had  it  not  been  strengthened  by  the  bright 
faith  of  Jonathan.  It  was  plain  that  Michal,  though 
she  had  a  kind  of  attachment  to  David,  was  far  from 
having  a  thoroughly  congenial  heart ;  she  loved  himi, 
and  helped  to  save  him,  but  at  the  same  time  bore 
false  witness  against  him  (chap.  xix.  17).  In  his  deepest 
sorrows,  David  could  have  derived  little  comxfort  from 
her.  Whatever  gleams  of  joy  and  hope,  therefore,  were 
now  shed  by  human  companionship  across  his  dark 
firmament,  were  due  to  Jonathan.  In  merciful  adapta- 
tion to  the  infirmities  of  his  human  spirit,  God  opened 
to  him  this  stream  in  the  desert,  and  allowed  him  to 
refresh  himself  with  its  pleasant  waters  ;  but  to  show 
him,  at  the  same  time,  that  such  supplies  could  not  be 
permanently  relied  on,  and  that  his  great  dependence 
must  be  placed,  not  on  the  fellowship  of  mortal  man, 
but  on  the  ever-living  and  ever-loving  God,  Jonathan 
and  he  were  doomed,  after  the  briefest  period  of 
companionship,  to  a  lifelong  separation,  and  the 
friendship  which  had  seemed  to  promise  a  perpetual 
solace  of  his  trials,  only  aggravated  their  severity, 
when  its  joys  were  violently  reft  away. 

In  another  view,  David's  intercourse  with  Jonathan 
served  an  important  purpose  in  his  training.  The 
very  sight  he  constantly  had  of  Saul's  outrageous 
wickedness  might  have  nursed  a  self-righteous  feeling. 


XX.]  DAVID   AND  JONATHAN.  319 


— might  have  encouraged  the  thought,  so  agreeable  to 
human  nature,  that  as  Saul  was  rejected  by  God  for 
his  wickedness,  so  David  was  chosen  for  his  goodness. 
The  remembrance  of  Jonathan's  singular  virtues  and 
graces  was  fitted  to  rebuke  this  thought ;  for  if  regard 
to  human  goodness  had  decided  God's  course  in  the 
matter,  why  should  not  Jonathan  have  been  appointed 
to  succeed  his  father  ?  From  the  self-righteous  ground 
on  which  he  might  have  been  thus  tempted  to  stand, 
David  would  be  thrown  back  on  the  adorable  sove- 
reignty of  God ;  and  in  deepest  humiliation  constrained 
to  own  that  it  was  God's  grace  only  that  made  him 
to  differ  from  others. 

Ardent  friendships  among  young  men  were  by  no 
means  uncommon  in  ancient  times;  many  striking 
instances  occurred  among  the  Greeks,  which  have  some- 
times been  accounted  for  by  the  comparatively  low 
estimation  in  which  female  society  was  then  held. 
'*  The  heroic  companions  celebrated  by  Homer  and 
others,"  it  has  been  remarked,  "  seem  to  have  but  one 
heart  and  soul,  with  scarcely  a  wish  or  object  apart,  and 
only  to  live,  as  they  are  always  ready  to  die,  for  one 
another.  .  .  .  The  idea  of  a  Greek  hero  seems  not  to 
have  been  thought  complete  without  such  a  brother  in 
arms  by  his  side."  * 

But  there  was  one  feature  of  the  friendship  of 
Jonathan  and  David  that  had  no  parallel  in  classic 
times, — it  was  friendship  between  tv/o  men,  of  whom 
the  younger  was  a  most  formidable  rival  to  the  older. 
It  is  Jonathan  that  shines  most  in  this  friendship,  for 
he  was  the  one  v/ho  had  least  to  gain  and  most  to  lose 
from  the  other.     He  knew  that  David  was  ordained  by 

•    Thiiiwall's  **  History  of  Greece." 


320  THE  FmST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL, 

God  to  succeed  to  his  father's  throne,  yet  he  loved  him  ; 
he  knew  that  to  befriend  David  v/as  to  offend  his 
father,  yet  he  warmly  befriended  him ;  he  knew  that 
he  must  decrease  and  David  increase,  yet  no  atom  of 
jealousy  disturbed  his  noble  spirit.  What  but  divine 
grace  could  have  enabled  Jonathan  to  maintain  this 
blessed  temper  ?  What  other  foundation  could  it  have 
rested  on  but  the  conviction  that  what  God  ordained 
must  be  the  very  best,  infinitely  wise  and  good  for  him 
and  for  all  ?  Or  what  could  have  filled  the  heart  thus 
bereaved  of  so  fair  an  earthly  prospect,  but  the  sense 
of  God's  love,  and  the  assurance  that  He  would  com- 
pensate to  him  all  that  He  took  from  him?  How 
beautiful  was  this  fruit  of  the  Spirit  of  God !  How 
blessed  it  would  be  if  such  clusters  hung  on  every 
branch  of  the  vine  ! 

Besides  being  disinterested,  Jonathan's  friendship  for 
David  was  of  an  eminently  holy  character.  Evidently 
Jonathan  was  a  man  that  habitually  honoured  God,  if 
not  in  much  open  profession,  yet  in  the  way  of  deep 
reverence  and  submission.  And  thus,  besides  being 
able  to  surrender  his  own  prospects  without  a  murmur, 
and  feel  real  happiness  in  the  thought  that  David  would 
be  king,  he  could  strengthen  the  faith  of  his  friend,  as 
we  read  afterwards  (chap,  xxiii.  i6)  :  '*  Jonathan,  Saul's 
son,  arose  and  went  to  David  into  the  wood,  and 
strengthened  his  hand  in  God."  At  the  time  when  they 
come  together  in  the  chapter  before  us,  Jonathan's  faith 
was  stronger  than  David's.  David's  faltering  heart  was 
saying,  ^'  There  is  but  a  step  between  me  and  death  " 
(ver.  3),  while  Jonathan  in  impHcit  confidence  in  God's 
purpose  concerning  David  was  thus  looking  forward  to 
the  future, — "Thou  shalt  not  only  while  yet  I  live 
show  me  the  kindness  of  the  Lord  that  I  die  not ;  but 


XX.1  DAVID  AND  JONATHAN,  321 

also  thou  sl:alt  not  cut  off  thy  kindness  from  my  house 
for  ever ;  no,  not  when  the  Lord  hath  cut  off  the  enemies 
of  David  every  one  from  the  face  of  the  earth."  There 
has  seldom,  if  ever,  been  exhibited  a  finer  instance  of 
triumphant  faith,  than  when  the  prince,  with  all  the 
resources  of  the  kingdom  at  his  beck,  made  this  request 
of  the  helpless  outlaw.  What  a  priceless  blessing  is 
the  friendship  of  those  who  support  and  comfort  us  in 
great  spiritual  conflicts,  and  help  us  to  stand  erect  in 
some  great  crisis  of  our  lives  !  How  different  from  the 
friendship  that  merely  supplies  the  merriment  of  an  idle 
hour,  at  the  expense,  perhaps,  of  a  good  conscience, 
and  to  the  lasting  injury  of  the  soul ! 

But  let  me  now  briefly  note  the  events  recorded  in 
this  chapter.  It  is  a  long  chapter,  one  of  those  long 
chapters  in  which  incidents  are  recorded  with  such 
fulness  of  detail,  as  not  only  to  make  a  very  graphic 
narrative,  but  to  supply  an  incidental  proof  of  its 
authenticity. 

First  of  all,  we  have  the  preliminary  conversation 
between  David  and  Jonathan,  as  to  the  real  feeling  of 
Saul  toward  David.  Incidentally,  we  learn  how  much 
Saul  leant  on  Jonathan :  '^  My  father  will  do  nothing, 
either  great  or  small,  but  he  will  show  it  me," — a  proof 
that  Jonathan  was,  like  Joseph  before  him,  and  like 
Daniel  after  him,  eminently  trustworthy,  and  as  sound 
in  judgment  as  he  was  noble  in  character.  Guileless 
himself,  he  suspected  no  guile  in  his  father.  But  David 
was  not  able  to  take  so  favourable  a  view  of  Saul.  So 
profound  was  his  conviction  to  the  contrary,  that  in 
giving  his  leason  for  believing  that  Saul  had  concealed 
from  his  son  his  real  feeling  in  the  matter,  and  the 
dangc  r  in  which  he  was,  he  used  the  solemn  language 
of  adjuration:  *'As  the  Lord    liveth,  and  as  thy  suul 

VOL.   I.  21 


322  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL, 

liveth,  there  is  but  a  step  between  me  and  death." 
Viewed  from  the  human  point,  this  was  true;  viewed 
from  under  the  Divine  purpose  and  promise,  it  could  not 
be  true.  Yet  we  cannot  blame  David,  knowing  as  hie  did 
what  Saul  really  felt,  for  expressing  his  human  fears,  and 
the  distress  of  mind  to  which  the  situation  gave  birth. 

Next,  we  find  a  device  agreed  on  between  David  and 
Jonathan,  to  ascertain  the  real  sentiments  of  Saul.  It 
was  one  of  those  deceitful  ways  to  which,  very  probably, 
David  had  become  accustomed  in  his  military  experi- 
ences, in  his  forays  against  the  Philistines,  where 
stratagems  may  have  been,  as  they  often  were,  a 
common  device.  It  was  probable  that  David  would  be 
missed  from  Saul's  table  next  day,  as  it  was  the  new 
moon  and  a  feast ;  if  Saul  inquired  after  him,  Jonathan 
was  to  pretend  that  he  had  asked  leave  to  go  to  a 
yearly  family  sacrifice  at  Bethlehem;  and  the  way  in 
which  Saul  should  take  this  explanation  would  show 
his  real  feeling  and  purpose  about  David.  In  the  event 
of  Saul  being  enraged,  and  commanding  Jonathan  to 
bring  David  to  him,  David  implored  Jonathan  not  to 
comply ;  rather  kill  him  with  his  own  hand  than  that ; 
for  there  was  nothing  that  David  dreaded  so  much  as 
falling  into  the  hands  of  Saul.  Jonathan  surely  did  not 
deserve  that  it  should  be  thought  possible  for  him  to 
surrender  David  to  his  father,  or  to  conceal  anything 
from  him  that  had  any  bearing  on  his  welfare.  But 
inasmuch  as  David  had  put  the  matter  in  the  form  he 
did,  it  seemed  right  to  Jonathan  that  a  very  solemn 
transaction  should  take  place  at  this  time,  to  make  their 
relation  as  clear  as  day,  and  to  determine  the  action 
of  the  stronger  of  them  to  the  other,  in  time  to  come. 

This  is  the  third  tiling  in  the  chapter.  Jonathan 
takes  David  into  the  field,  that  is,  into  some  sequestered 


-ex.]  DAVID  AND  JONATHAN.  323 


Wady,   at   some  distance  from   the  town,   where  they 
would  be  sure  to  enjoy  complete  solitude;  and  there 
they  enter  into  a  solemn  covenant.     Jonathan  takes  the 
lead.     He  begins  with  a  solemn  appeal  to  God,  calling 
on  Him  not  as  a  matter  of  mere  form  or  propriety,  but 
of  real  and  profound  significance.     First,  he  binds  him- 
self to  communicate  faithfully  to  David  the  real  state 
of  things  on  the  part  of  his  father,  whether  it  should  be 
for  good  or  for  evil.     And  then  he  binds  David,  whom 
by  faith  he  sees  in  possession  of  the  kingly  power,  in 
spite  of  all  that  Saul  may  do  against  him,  first  to  be 
kind  to  himself  while   he  lived,  and  not  cut   him  off, 
as  new  kings   so  often  massacred  all  the  relations  of 
the  old  ;  and  also  after  his  death  to  show  kindness  to 
his  family,  and  never  cease  to  remember  them,  not  even 
when  raised  to  such  a  pitch  of  prosperity  that  all  his 
enemies  were  cut  off  from  the  earth.     One  knows  not 
whether  most  to  wonder  at  the  faith  of  Jonathan,  or  the 
sweetness  of  his  nature.     It  is  David,  the  poor  outlaw, 
with  hardly  a  man  to  stand  by  him,  that  appears  to 
Jonathan  the  man  of  power,  the  man  who  can  dispose  of 
all  lives  and  sway  all  destinies;   while  Jonathan,   the 
king's  son  and  confidential  adviser,  is  somehow  reduced 
to  helplessness,  and  unable  even  to  save  himself.     Bu\ 
was  there  ever  such  a  transaction  entered   into  witK 
such  sweetness  of  temper  ?     The  calmness  of  Jonathan 
in  contemplating  the  strange  reverse  of  fortune  both  to 
himself  and  to  David,  is  exquisitely  beautiful ;   nor  is 
there  in  it  a  trace  of  that  servility  with  which   mean 
natures  worship  the  rising  sun ;  it  is  manly  and  generous 
while  it  is  meek  and  humble;  such  a  combination  of  the 
noble  and  the  submissive  as  was  shown  afterwards,  in 
highest  form,  in  the  one  perfect  example  of  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ. 


324  THE  Fib  ST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL. 

Next  conies  a  statement  of  the  way  in  which  Jonathan 
was  to  announce  to  David  the  result.  It  might  not  be 
safe  for  him  to  see  David  personally,  but  in  that  case 
he  would  let  him  know  what  had  transpired  about  him 
through  a  preconcerted  signal,  in  reference  to  the  place 
where  he  would  direct  an  attendant  to  go  for  some 
arrows.  As  it  happened,  a  personal  interview  was 
obtained  with  David ;  but  before  that,  the  telegraphing 
with  the  arrows  was  carried  out  as  arranged. 

On  the  first  day  of  the  feast,  David's  absence  passed 
unnoticed,  Saul  being  under  the  impression  that  he  had 
acquired  ceremonial  uncleanness.  But  as  that  excuse 
could  only  avail  for  one  day,  Saul  finding  him  absent 
the  second  day,  asked  Jonathan  what  had  become  of 
him.  The  excuse  agreed  on  was  given.  It  excited  the 
deepest  rage  of  Saul.  But  his  rage  was  not  against 
David  so  much  as  against  Jonathan  for  taking  his  part. 
Saul  did  not  believe  in  the  excuse,  otherwise  he  would 
not  have  ordered  Jonathan  to  send  and  fetch  David. 
If  David  was  at  Bethlehem,  Saul  could  have  sent  for 
him  himself;  if  he  lay  concealed  in  the  neighbourhood, 
Jonathan  alone  would  know  his  hiding-place,  therefore 
Jonathan  must  get  hold  of  him.  If  this  be  the  true 
view,  the  stratagem  of  Jonathan  had  availed  nothing ; 
the  plain  truth  would  have  served  the  purpose  no 
worse.  As  it  was,  Jonathan's  own  life  was  in  the  most 
imminent  danger.  Remonstrating  with  his  father  for 
seeking  to  destroy  David,  he  narrowly  escaped  his 
father's  javelin,  even  though,  a  moment  before,  in  his 
jealousy  of  David,  Saul  had  professed  to  be  concerned 
for  the  interests  of  Jonathan.  "Thou  son  of  the 
perverse  rebellious  woman,  do  not  I  know  that  thou 
hast  chosen  the  son  of  Jesse  to  thine  own  confusion, 
and   to  the  confusion    of  thy    mother's  nakedness  ? " 


juj,]  DAVID  AND  JONATHAN.  S^S 

What  Strange  and  unworthy  methods  will  not  angry 
men  and  women  resort  to,  to  put  vinegar  into  their 
words  and  make  them  sting!  To  try  to  wound  a 
man's  feeUngs  by  reviling  his  mother,  or  by  reviling 
any  of  his  kindred,  is  a  practice  confined  to  the  dregs 
of  society,  and  nauseous,  to  the  last  degree,  to  every 
gentle  and  honourable  mind.  In  Saul's  case,  the 
offence  was  still  more  infamous  because  the  woman 
reviled  was  his  own  wife.  Surely  if  her  failings 
reflected  on  any  one,  they  reflected  on  her  husband 
rather  than  her  son.  But  that  it  was  any  real  failing 
that  Saul  denounced  when  he  called  her  ''the  perverse 
rebellious  woman,"  we  greatly  doubt.  To  a  man  like 
Saul,  any  assertion  of  her  rights  by  his  wife,  any 
refusal  to  be  his  abject  slave,  any  opposition  to  his  wild 
and  wicked  designs  against  David,  would  mean  per- 
versity and  rebelhon.  We  are  far  from  thinking  ill  of 
this  nameless  woman  because  her  husband  denounced 
her  to  her  son.  But  when  we  see  Saul  in  one  breath 
trying  to  kill  his  son  with  a  javelin  and  to  destroy  his 
wife's  character  by  poisoned  words,  and  at  the  same 
time  thirsting  for  the  death  of  his  son-in-law,  we  have 
a  mournful  exhibition  of  the  depth  to  which  men  are 
capable  of  descending  from  whom  the  Spirit  of  the 
Lord  hath  departed. 

No  wonder  that  Jonathan  arose  from  the  table  in 
fierce  anger,  and  did  eat  no  meat  the  second  day  of  the 
month.  One  wonders  how  the  feast  went  on  thereafter, 
but  one  does  not  envy  the  guests.  Did  Saul  drown 
his  stormy  feelings  in  copious  draughts  of  wine,  and 
turn  the  holy  festival  into  a  bacchanalian  rout,  amid 
whose  boisterous  mirth  and  tempestuous  exhilaration 
the  reproaches  of  conscience  would  be  stifled  for  the 
hour  ? 


326  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL. 

The  third  day  has  come,  on  which,  by  preconcerted 
agreement,  Jonathan  was  to  reveal  to  David  his  father's 
state  of  mind.  David  is  in  the  agreed-on  hiding-place ; 
and  Jonathan,  sallying  forth  with  his  servant,  shoots 
his  arrows  to  the  place  which  was  to  indicate  the 
existence  of  danger.  Then,  the  lad  having  gone  back 
to  the  city,  and  no  one  being  on  the  spot  to  observe 
them  or  interrupt  them,  the  two  friends  come  together 
and  have  an  affecting  meeting.  When  Jonathan  parted 
from  David  three  days  before,  he  had  not  been  without 
hopes  of  bringing  to  him  a  favourable  report  of  his 
father.  David  expected  nothing  of  the  kind ;  but  even 
David  must  have  been  shocked  and  horrified  to  find 
things  so  bad  as  they  were  now  reported.  In  an  act 
of  unfeigned  reverence  for  the  king's  son,  David 
bowed  himself  three  times  to  the  ground.  In  token  of 
much  love  they  kissed  one  another ;  while  under  the 
dark  cloud  of  adversity  that  had  risen  on  them  both, 
and  that  now  compelled  them  to  separate,  hardly  ever 
again  (as  it  turned  out)  to  see  one  another  in  the  flesh, 
"  they  wept  one  with  another  until  David  exceeded." 

**  They  wept  as  only  strong  men  weep, 
When  weep  they  must,  or  die." 

One  consolation  alone  remained,  and  it  was  Jonathan 
that  was  able  to  apply  it.  *'  Jonathan  said  to  David, 
Go  in  peace,  forasmuch  as  we  have  sworn  both  of  us 
in  the  name  of  the  Lord,  saying,  The  Lord  be  between 
me  and  thee,  and  between  my  seed  and  thy  seed  for 
ever."  Yes,  even  in  that  darkest  hour,  Jonathan  could 
say  to  David,  *'  Go  in  peace^  What  peace  ?  "  Thou 
wilt  keep  him  in  perfect  peace  whose  mind  is  stayed 
on  Thee,  because  he  trusteth  in  Thee."  "  The  angel  of 
the  Lord  encampeth  about  them   that  fear   Him,   and 


XX.]  DAVID  AND  JONATHAN,  327 

delivereth  them."  "  Many  are  the  afQictions  of  the 
righteous,  but  the  Lord  dehvereth  them  out  of  them  all." 
We  cannot  turn  from  this  chapter  without  adding 
a  word  on  the  friendships  of  the  young.  It  is  when 
hearts  are  tender  that  they  are  most  readily  knit  to 
each  other,  as  the  heart  of  Jonathan  was  knit  to  the 
heart  of  David.  But  the  formation  of  friendships  is  too 
important  a  matter  to  be  safely  left  to  casual  circum- 
stances. It  ought  to  be  gone  about  with  care.  If  you 
have  materials  to  choose  among,  see  that  you  choose 
the  best.  At  the  foundation  of  all  friendship  lies  con- 
geniality of  heart — a  kindred  feeling  of  which  one  often 
becomes  conscious  by  instinct  at  first  sight.  But 
there  must  also  be  elements  of  difference  in  friends.  It 
is  a  great  point  to  have  a  friend  who  is  above  us  in 
some  things,  and  who  will  thus  be  likely  to  draw  us  up 
to  a  higher  level  of  character,  instead  <:ii  dragging  us 
down  to  a  lower.  And  a  friend  is  very  us^fid,  if  he  is 
rich  in  qualities  where  we  are  poor.  As*  i»  is  in  In 
Memoriam— 

**He  was  rich  where  I  was  poor, 
And  he  supplied  my  want  the  more 
As  his  unlikeness  fitted  mine." 

But  surely,  of  all  qualities  in  a  friend  or  con.pan^on 
who  is  to  do  us  good,  the  most  vital  is,  that  he  fears 
the  Lord.  As  such  friendships  are  by  far  the  most 
pleasant,  so  they  are  by  far  the  most  profitable.  And 
when  you  have  made  friends,  stick  by  them.  Don't 
let  it  be  said  of  you  that  your  friend  seemed  to  be 
everything  to  you  yesterday,  but  nothing  to-day.  And 
if  your  friends  rise  above  you  in  the  world,  rejoice  in 
their  prosperity,  and  banish  every  envious  feeling ;  or 
if  you   should  rise  above  them,   do  not  forget    them, 


328  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL, 

nor  forsake  them,  but,  as  if  you  had  made  a  covenant 
before  God,  continue  to  show  kindness  to  them  and 
to  their  children  after  them.  Pray  for  them,  and  ask 
them  to  pray  for  you. 

Perhaps  it  was  with  some  view  to  the  friendship  of 
Jonathan  and  his  father  that  Solomon  wrote,  "  There 
is  a  friend  that  sticketh  closer  than  a  brother."  Jonathan 
was  such  a  friend  to  David.  But  the  words  suggest 
a  higher  friendship.  The  glory  of  Jonathan's  love  for 
David  fades  before  our  Lord's  love  for  His  brethren. 
If  Jonathan  were  living  among  us,  who  of  us  could 
look  on  him  with  indifference  ?  Would  not  our  hearts 
warm  to  him,  as  we  gazed  on  his  noble  form  and  open 
face,  even  though  we  had  never  been  the  objects  of  his 
affection  ?  In  the  case  of  Jesus  Christ,  we  have  all  the 
noble  qualities  of  Jonathan  in  far  higher  excellence 
than  his,  and  we  have  this  further  consideration,  that 
for  us  He  has  laid  down  His  life,  and  that  none  who 
receive  His  friendship  can  ever  be  separated  from  His 
love.  And  what  an  elevating  and  purifying  effect  that 
friendship  will  have  !  In  aUiance  with  Him,  you  are 
in  alliance  with  all  that  is  pure  and  bright,  all  that  is 
transforming  and  beautifying ;  all  that  can  give  peace 
to  your  conscience,  joy  to  your  heart,  lustre  to  your 
spirit,  and  beauty  to  your  life ;  all  that  can  make  3^our 
garments  smell  of  myrrh,  and  aloes,  and  cassia;  all 
that  can  bless  you  and  make  you  a  blessing.  And 
once  you  are  truly  His,  the  bond  can  never  be  severed ; 
David  had  to  tear  himself  from  Jonathan,  but  you  will 
never  have  to  tear  yourselves  from  Christ.  Your  union 
is  cemented  by  the  blood  of  the  everlasting  covenant ; 
and  by  the  eternal  efficacy  of  the  prayer,  ^'  Father,  I 
will  that  they  also  whom  Thou  hast  given  me  be 
with  me  where  I  am." 


CHAPTER   XXVIII. 

DAVID  AT  NOB  AND  AT  GATH, 
I  Samuel  xxi. 

WE  enter  here  on  a  somewhat  painful  part  of 
David's  history.  He  is  not  living  so  near  to 
God  as  before;  and  in  consequence  his  course  becomes 
more  carnal  and  more  crooked.  We  saw  in  our  last 
chapter  the  element  of  distrust  rising  up  somewhat 
ominously  in  that  solemn  adjuration  to  Jonathan,  "  Truly 
as  the  Lord  liveth,  and  as  thy  soul  liveth,  there  is  but 
a  step  between  me  and  death."  These  words,  it  is 
true,  gave  expression  to  an  undoubted  and  in  a  sense 
universal  truth,  a  truth  which  all  of  us  should  at  all 
times  ponder,  but  which  David  had  special  cause  to 
feel,  under  the  circumstances  in  which  he  was  placed. 
It  was  not  the  fact  of  his  giving  solemn  expression  to 
this  truth  that  indicated  distrust  on  the  part  ot  David, 
but  the  fact  that  he  did  not  set  over  against  it  another 
truth  which  was  just  as  real, — that  God  had  chosen 
him  for  His  service,  and  would  not  allow  him  to  perish 
at  the  hand  of  Saul.  When  a  good  man  sees  himself 
exposed  to  a  terrible  danger  which  he  has  no  means  of 
averting,  it  is  no  wonder  if  the  contemplation  of  that 
danger  gives  rise  for  the  moment  to  fear.  But  it  is  his 
privilege  to  enjoy  promises  of  protection  and  blessing 
at  the   hand  of  the  unseen    God,  and  if  his  faith  in 


330  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL. 

these  promises  be  active,  it  will  not  only  neutralize  the 
fear,  but  raise  him  high  above  it.  Now,  the  defect  in 
David's  state  of  mind  was,  that  while  he  fully  realized 
the  danger,  he  did  not  by  faith  lay  hold  of  that  which 
v/as  fitted  to  neutraHze  it.  It  was  Jonathan  rather 
than  David  who  by  faith  realized  at  this  time  David's 
grounds  of  security.  All  through  Jonathan's  remarks 
in  chapter  xx.  you  see  him  thinking  of  God  as  David's 
Protector, — thinking  of  the  great  purposes  which  God 
meant  to  accomplish  by  him,  and  which  were  a  pledge 
that  He  would  preserve  him  now, — thinking  of  David  as 
a  coming  man  of  unprecedented  power  and  influence, 
whose  word  would  determine  other  men's  destinies,  and 
dispose  of  their  fortunes.  David  seems  to  have  been 
greatly  indebted  to  Jonathan  for  sustaining  his  faith 
while  he  w^as  with  him;  for  after  he  parted  from 
Jonathan,  his  faith  fell  very  low.  Time  after  time,  he 
follows  that  policy  of  deceit  which  he  had  instructed 
Jonathan  to  pursue  in  explaining  his  absence  from  the 
feast  in  Saul's  house.  It  is  painful  in  the  last  degree 
to  see  one  whose  faith  towered  to  such  a  lofty  height 
in  the  encounter  with  Goliath,  coming  down  from  that 
noble  elevation,  to  find  him  resorting  for  self-protection 
to  the  lies  and  artifices  of  an  impostor. 

We  cannot  excuse  it,  but  we  m.ay  account  for  it. 
David  was  wearied  out  by  Saul's  restless  and  incessant 
persecution.  We  read  in  Daniel  of  a  certain  persecutor 
that  he  should  '*wear  out  the  saints  of  the  Most  High," 
and  it  was  the  same  sad  experience  from  which  David 
was  now  suffering.  It  does  not  appear  that  he  was 
gifted  naturally  with  great  patience,  or  power  of  endur- 
ing. Rather  we  should  suppose  that  one  of  such  nimble 
and  lively  temperament  would  soon  tire  of  a  strained 
and  uneasy  attitude.     It  appears  that  Saul's  persistency 


Kxl]  DAVID  AT  NOB  AND  AT  GATH,  331 

in  injustice  and  cruelty  made  David  at  last  restless  and 
impatient.  All  the  more  would  he  have  needed  in  such 
circumstances  to  resort  to  God,  and  seek  from  Him  the 
oil  of  grace  to  feed  his  patience,  and  bear  him  above 
the  infirmities  of  his  nature.  But  tiiis  was  just  what 
he  seems  not  to  have  done.  Carnal  fear  therefore  grew 
apace,  and  faith  fell  into  a  state  of  slumber.  The  eye 
of  sense  was  active,  looking  out  on  the  perils  around 
nim  ;  the  eye  of  faith  was  dull,  hardly  able  to  decipher 
a  single  promise.  The  eye  of  sense  saw  the  vindictive 
scowl  of  Saul,  the  javelin  in  his  hand,  and  bands  of 
soldiers  sent  out  on  every  side  to  seize  David  or  slay 
him  ;  the  eye  of  faith  did  not  see — what  it  might  have 
seen — the  angel  of  the  Lord  encamping  around  him 
and  delivering  him.  It  was  God's  purpose  now  to 
allow  David  to  feel  his  own  weakness ;  he  was  to  pass 
through  that  terrible  ordeal  when,  tossed  on  a  sea  of 
trials,  one  feels  like  Noah's  dove,  unable  to  find  rest 
for  the  sole  of  one's  foot,  and  seems  on  the  very  eve 
of  dropping  helpless  into  the  billows,  till  the  ark  pre- 
sents itself,  and  a  gracious  hand  is  put  forth  to  the 
rescue.  Left  to  himself,  tempted  to  make  use  of  carnal 
expedients,  and  taught  the  wretchedness  of  such  ex- 
pedients; learning  also,  through  this  discipline,  to 
anchor  his  soul  more  firmly  on  the  promise  of  the 
living  God,  David  was  now  undergoing  a  most  essential 
part  of  his  early  training,  gaining  the  experience  that 
was  to  qualify  him  to  say  with  such  earnestness  to 
others,  "  O  taste  and  see  that  the  Lord  is  good  :  blessed 
is  the  man  that  trusteth  in  Him." 

On  leaving  Gibeah,  David,  accompanied  with  a  few 
followers,  bent  his  steps  to  Nob,  a  city  of  the  priests. 
The  site  of  this  city  has  not  been  discovered ;  some 
think  it  stood  on  the   north-eastern  ridge  of  Mount 


33*  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL, 

Olivet  ;  this  is  uncertain,  but  it  is  evident  that  it  was 
very  close  to  Jerusalem  (see  Isa.  x.  32).  Its  distance 
from  Gibeah  would  therefore  be  but  five  or  six  miles, 
much  too  short  for  David  to  have  had  there  any  great 
sense  of  safety.  It  appears  to  have  become  the  seat  of 
the  sacred  services  of  the  nation,  some  time  after  the 
destruction  of  Shiloh.  David's  purpose  in  going  there 
seems  to  have  been  simply  to  get  a  shelter,  perhaps  for 
the  Sabbath  day,  and  to  obtain  supplies.  Doeg,  indeed, 
charged  Ahimelech,  before  Saul,  with  having  inquired 
of  the  Lord  for  David,  but  Ahimelech  v/ith  some 
warmth  denied  the  charge.*  The  privilege  of  con- 
sulting the  Urim  and  Thummim  seems  to  have  been 
confined  to  the  chief  ruler  of  the  nation  ;  if  v/ith  the 
sanction  of  the  priest  David  had  done  so  now,  he  might 
have  justly  been  charged  with  treason ;  probably  it  was 
because  he  believed  Doeg  rather  than  Ahimelech,  and 
concluded  that  this  royal  privilege  had  been  conceded 
by  the  priests  to  David,  that  Saul  was  so  enraged,  and 
inflicted  such  dreadful  retribution  on  them.  Afterwards, 
when  Abiathar  fled  to  David  with  the  high  priest's 
ephod,  through  which  the  judgment  of  Urim  and 
Thummim  seems  to  have  been  announced,  David  re- 
garded that  circumstance  as  an  indication  of  the  Divine 
permission  to  him  to  make  use  of  the  sacred  oracle. 

But  what  shall  v/e  say  of  the  untruth  which  David 
told  Ahimelech,  to  account  for  his  coming  there  witliout 
armed  attendants  ?  "The  king  hath  commanded  me  a 
business,  and  hath  said  unto  me,  Let  no  mxan  know  any- 

*  See  I  Sam.  xxii.  15  : — **  Have  I  to-day  begun  to  inquire  of  God  for 
him  ?  be  it  far  from  me  :  let  not  the  king  impute  anything  unto  his  servant, 
nor  to  all  the  house  of  my  father  ;  for  thy  servant  knoweth  nothing  of 
all  this,  less  or  more"  (R.V.)  To  deny  beginning  to  do  a  thing  is  much 
Ihe  same  as  to  deny  doing  it. 


zxi.] 


DAVID  AT  NOB  AND  AT  CATH.  333 


thing  of  the  business  whereabout  I  send  thee,  and  what 
I  have  commanded  thee  ;  and  I  have  commanded  my 
servants  to  such  and  such  a  place."     Here  was  a  state- 
ment  not  only  not  true,  but  the  very  opposite  of  the 
truth:  spoken  too  to  God's  anointed  high  priest,  and 
in  the  very  place  consecrated  to  God's  most  solemn 
service;  everything  about  the  speaker  fitted  to  bring 
Gud  to  his  mind,  and  to  recal  God's  protection  of  him 
in  time  past ;  yet  the  first  thing  he  did  on  entering  the 
sacred   place  was  to  utter  a   falsehood,   prompted  by 
distrust,  prompted  by  the  feeling  that  the  pledged  pro- 
tection of  the  God  of  truth,  before  whose  shrine  he  now 
stood,  was  not  sufficient.     How  plain  the  connection 
between  a  deficient  sense  of  God's  truthfulness,  and 
a  deficient  regard  to  truth  itself!     What  could   have 
tempted   David   to  act  thus?     According  to  some,  it 
was  altogether  an  amiable  and  generous  desire  to  keep 
Ahimelech  out  of  trouble,  to  screen  him  from  the  re- 
sponsibility of  helping  a  known  outlaw.     But  consider- 
ing the  gathering  distrust  of  David's  spirit  at  the  time, 
it  seems  more  likely  that  he  was  startled  at  the  fear 
which  Ahimelech  expressed  when  he  saw  David  coming 
alone,  as  if  all  were  not  right  between  him  and  Saul, 
as  if  the  truce  that  had  been  agreed  on  after  the  aftaii 
of  Naioth  had  now  come  to  an  end.     Probably  David 
felt  that  if  Ahimelech  knew  all,  he  would  be  still  more 
afraid    and   do  nothing  to  help   him  ;    moreover,  the 
presence  of  Doeg  the  Edomite  was  another  cause  of  em- 
barrassment, for  Saul  had  once  ordered  all  his  servants 
to  kill  David,  and  if  the  fierce  Edomite  were  told  that 
David  was  now  simply  a  fugitive,  he  might  be  wilhng 
enough  to  do  the  deed.     Anyhow,  David  now  lent  him- 
self to  the  devices  of  the  father  of  lies.     And  so  the 
brave  spirit  that  had  not  quailed  before  Goliath,  and 


334  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL, 

that  had  met  the  Philistines  in  so  many  terrific  encoun- 
ters, now  quailed  before  a  phantom  of  its  own  devising, 
and  shrank  from  what,  at  the  moment,  was  only  an 
imaginary  danger. 

David  succeeded  in  getting  from  Ahimelech  what  he 
wanted,  but  not  without  difficulty.  For  when  David 
asked  for  five  loaves  of  bread,  the  priest  replied  that  he 
had  no  common  bread,  but  only  shewbread;  he  had 
only  the  bread  that  had  been  taken  that  day  from  off 
the  table  on  which  it  stood  before  the  Lord,  and  re- 
placed by  fresh  bread,  according  to  the  law.  The  priest 
was  willing  to  give  that  bread  to  David,  if  he  could 
assure  him  that  his  attendants  were  not  under  defile- 
ment. It  will  be  remembered  that  our  Lord  adverted 
to  this  fact,  as  a  justification  of  His  own  disciples  for 
plucking  the  ears  of  corn  and  eating  them  on  the 
Sabbath.  The  principle  underlying  both  was,  that 
when  a  ceremonial  obligation  comes  into  collision  with 
a  moral  duty,  the  lesser  obligation  is  to  give  place  to 
the  heavier.  The  keeping  of  the  Sabbath  free  from  all 
work,  and  the  appropriation  of  the  shewbread  to  the 
use  of  the  priests  alone,  were  but  ceremonial  obliga- 
tions; the  preservation  of  life  was  a  moral  duty.  It 
A  is  sometimes  a  very  difficult  thing  to  determine  duty, 
^  when  moral  obligations  appear  to  clash  with  each 
other,  but  there  was  no  difficulty  in  the  collision  of  the 
moral  and  the  ceremonial.  Our  Lord  would  certainly 
not  have  sided  with  that  body  of  zealots,  in  the  days 
of  conflict  between  the  Maccabees  and  the  Syrians,  wli  ■• 
allowed  themselves  to  be  cut  in  pieces  by  the  enem} . 
rather  than  break  the  Sabbath  by  fighting  on  that  daj  . 

David  had  another  request  to  make  of  Ahimelecl  . 
**  Is  there  not  here  under  thy  hand  spear  or  sword  .' 
for  I  have  neither  brought  my  sword  nor  my  weapci.; 


xxi.]  DAVID  AT  NOB  AND  AT  GATH.  335 


with  me,  because  the  khig's  business  required  haste." 
It  was  a  strange  place  to  ask  for  miUtary  weapons. 
Surely  the  priests  would  not  need  to  defend  themselves 
with  these.  Yet  it  happened  that  there  was  a  sword 
there  which  David  knew  well,  and  which  he  might 
reasonably  claim, — the  sword  of  Goliath.  "  Give  it  me," 
said  David ;  ''  there  is  none  like  that."  We  read  before, 
that  David  carried  Goliath's  head  to  Jerusalem.  Nob 
was  evidently  in  the  Jerusalem  district,  and  as  the 
svv^ord  was  there,  there  can  be  little  doubt  that  it  was 
at  Nob  the  trophies  had  been  deposited. 

So  far,  things  had  gone  fairly  well  with  David  at 
Nob.  But  there  was  a  man  there  ''  detained  before  the 
Lord," — prevented  probably  from  proceeding  on  his 
journey  because  it  was  the  Sabbath  day,— whose  presence 
gave  no  comfort  to  David,  and  was,  indeed,  an  omen 
of  evil.  Doeg,  the  Edomite,  was  the  chief  of  the  herd- 
men  of  Saul.  Why  Saul  had  entrusted  that  office  to  a 
member  of  a  nation  that  was  notorious  for  its  bitter 
feelings  towards  Israel,  we  do  not  know;  but  the 
herdman  seems  to  have  been  like  his  master  in  his 
feelings  towards  David ;  he  would  appear,  indeed,  to 
have  joined  the  hereditary  dislike  of  his  nation  to  the 
personal  dislike  of  his  master.  Instinctively,  as  we 
learn  afterwards,  David  understood  the  feelings  of 
Doeg.  It  would  have  been  well  for  him,  when  a  shudder 
passed  over  him  as  he  caught  the  scow^ling  countenance 
of  the  Edomite,  had  his  own  conscience  been  easier 
than  it  was.  It  would  have  been  well  for  him  had  he 
been  ruled  by  that  spirit  of  trust  which  triumphed  so 
gloriously  the  day  he  first  got  possession  of  that  sword. 
It  would  have  been  well  for  him  had  he  been  free  from 
the  disturbing  consciousness  of  having  offended  God 
by   borrowing    the   devices  of  the  father  of  lies   and 


336  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL. 

bringing  them  into  the  sanctuary,  to  pollute  the  air 
of  the  house  of  God.  No  wonder,  though,  David  was 
restless  again  !  ^'And  David  arose,  and  fled  that  day 
for  fear  of  Saul,  and  went  to  Achish  the  king  of 
Gath." 

How  different  his  state  and  prospects  now  from  what 
they  had  been  a  little  time  before !  Then  the  world 
smiled  on  him  ;  fame  and  honour,  wealth  and  glory, 
flowed  in  on  him  ;  God  was  his  Father ;  conscience  was 
calm ;  he  hardly  knew  the  taste  of  misery.  But  how 
has  his  sky  become  overcast !  A  homeless  and  helpless 
wanderer,  with  scarcely  an  attendant  or  companion ;  in 
momentary  fear  of  death;  fain  to  beg  a  morsel  of 
bread  where  he  could  get  it ;  a  creature  so  banned  and 
cursed  that  kindness  to  him  involved  the  risk  of  death  ; 
his  heart  bleeding  for  the  loss  of  Jonathan ;  his  soul 
clouded  by  distrust  of  God  ;  his  conscience  troubled  by 
the  vague  sense  of  unacknowledged  sin  !  And  yet  he 
is  destined  to  be  king  of  Israel,  the  very  ideal  of  a  good 
and  prosperous  monarch,  and  the  earthly  type  of  the 
Son  of  God  !  Like  a  lost  sheep,  he  has  gone  astray  for 
a  time,  but  the  Good  Shepherd  will  leave  the  ninety- 
and-nine  and  go  among  the  mountains  till  He  find  him ; 
and  his  experience  will  give  a  wondrous  depth  to  that 
favourite  song  of  young  and  old  of  every  age  and 
country,  ^' He  restoreth  my  soul:  He  leadeth  me  in  the 
paths  of  righteousness,  for  His  name's  sake." 

And  now  we  must  follow  him  to  Gath,  the  city  of 
Goliath.  Down  the  slope  of  Mount  Olivet,  across  the 
brook  Kedron,  and  past  the  stronghold  of  Zion,  and 
probably  through  the  very  valley  of  Elah  where  he  had 
fought  with  the  giant,  David  makes  his  way  to  Gath. 
It  was  surely  a  strange  place  to  fly  to,  a  sign  of  the 
despair  in  which  David  found  himself  1     What  reception 


xxi.]  DAVID  AT  NOB  AND  AT  GATIT.  337 

could  the  conqueror  of  Goliath  expect  in  his  city  ? 
What  retribution  was  due  to  him  for  the  hundred 
foreskins,  and  for  the  deeds  of  victory  which  had 
inspired  the  Hebrew  singers  when  they  sang  of  the 
tens  of  thousands  whom  David  had  slain  ? 

It  will  hardly  do  to  say  that  he  reckoned  on  not 
being  recognised.  It  is  more  likely  that  he  relied  on 
a  spirit  not  unknown  among  barbarous  princes  towards 
warriors  dishonoured  at  home,  as  when  Themistocles 
took  refuge  among  the  Persians,  or  Coriolanus  among 
the  Volscians.  That  he  took  this  step  without  much 
reflection  on  its  ulterior  bearings  is  well  nigh  certain. 
For,  granting  that  he  should  be  favourably  received, 
this  would  be  on  the  understanding  that  his  services 
would  be  at  the  command  of  his  protector,  or  at  the 
very  least  it  would  place  him  under  an  obligation  of 
gratitude  that  would  prove  highly  embarrassing  at  some 
future  time.  Happily,  the  scheme  did  not  succeed. 
The  jealousy  of  the  PhiHstine  nobles  was  excited. 
"  The  servants  of  Achish  said  unto  him.  Is  not  this 
David,  the  king  of  the  land  ?  Did  they  not  sing  one 
to  another  of  him  in  dances,  saying,  Saul  hath  slain 
his  thousands,  and  David  his  ten  thousands  ?  "  David 
began  to  feel  himself  in  a  false  position.  He  laid  up 
these  words  in  his  heart,  and  was  sore  afraid  of  Achish. 
The  misery  of  his  situation  and  the  poverty  of  his 
resources  may  both  be  inferred  from  the  unworthy 
device  to  which  he  resorted  to  extricate  himself  from 
his  difficulty.  He  feigned  himself  mad,  and  conducted 
himself  as  madmen  commonly  do.  "  He  scrabbled  on 
the  door  of  the  gate,  and  let  his  spittle  fall  down  upon 
his  beard"  But  the  device  failed.  "  Have  I  need  of 
madmen,"  asked  the  king,  **  that  ye  have  brought  this 
fellow  to  play  the  madman  in  my  presence  ?  shall  this 

VOL.    I.  22 


338  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL, 

fellow  come  into  my  house  ? "  A  Jewish  tradition 
alleges  that  both  the  wife  and  daughter  of  Achish  were 
mad ;  he  had  plenty  of  that  sort  of  people  already :  no 
need  of  more  !  The  title  of  the  thirty-fourth  Psalm  tells 
us,  '*  he  drove  him  away,  and  he  departed." 

Have  any  of  you  ever  been  tempted  to  resort  to  a 
series  of  devices  and  deceits  either  to  avoid  a  danger 
or  to  attain    an  object  ?      Have  you  been   tempted  to 
forsake  the  path  of  straightforward  honesty  and  truth, 
and   to  pretend  that  things   were    different  with   you 
from  what  they  really  were  ?     I  do  not  accuse  you  of 
that  wickedness  which  they  commit  who  deliberately 
imprison   conscience,  and  fearlessly  set  up  their  own 
will  and  their  own  interests  as  their  king.     What  you 
have  done  under  the  peculiar  circumstances  in  which 
you  found  yourselves  is  not  what  you  would  ordinarily 
have  done.     In  this  one  connection,  you  felt  pressed  to 
get  along  in  one  way  or  another,  and  the  only  available 
way  was   that  of  deceit   and  device.     You   were  very 
unhappy  at  the  beginning,  and  your  misery  increased 
as  you  went  on.     Everything  about  you  was  in  a  con 
strained,     unnatural     condition, — conscience,     temper 
feelings,  all  out  of  order.     At  one  time  it  seemed  as  if 
you  were  going  to  succeed  ;  you  were  on  the  crest  of  i. 
wave  that  promised  to  bear  you  to  land,  but  the  wavL 
broke,   and  you  were  sent   floundering  in  the  broken 
wpter.     You  were  obliged  to  go  from  device  to  device, 
wi*.h  a  growing  sense  of  misery.     At   last   the  chain 
snapped,  and  both  you  and  your  friends  were  confronted 
w'th    the    miserable  reality.     But    know  this :  that    it 
vould  have  been  infinitely  worse  for  you  if  your  device 
\  ad  succeeded  than  that  it  failed.     If  it  had  succeeded^ 
;  ou  would   have  been   permanently  entangled  in  evil 
.irinciples  and  evil  ways,  that  would  have  ruined  your 


Kxl]  DAVID  AT  NOB  AND  AT  GATH,  339 


soul.  Because  you  failed,  God  showed  that  He  had 
not  forsaken  you.  David  prospering  at  Gath  would 
have  been  a  miserable  spectacle ;  David  driven  away  by 
Achish  is  on  the  way  to  brighter  and  better  days. 

For,  if  we  can  accept  the  titles  of  some  of  the  Psalms, 
it  would  seem  that  the  carnal  spell,  under  which  David 
had  been  for  some  time,  burst  when  Achish  drove  him 
away,  and  that  he  returned  to  his  early  faith  ard  trust. 
It  was  to  the  cave  of  Adullam  that  he  fled,  and  the 
hundred  and  forty-second  Psalm  claims  to  have  been 
written  there.  So  also  the  thirty-fourth  Psalm,  as  we 
have  seen,  bears  to  have  been  written  "when  he 
changed  his  behaviour"  (feigned  madness)  "before 
Abimelech  "  (Achish  ?),  ''  who  drove  him  away,  and  he 
departed."  So  much  uncertainty  has  been  thrown  of 
late  years  on  these  superscriptions,  that  we  dare  not 
trust  to  them  explicitly;  yet  recognising  in  them  at 
least  the  value  of  old  traditions,  we  may  regard  them 
as  more  or  less  probable,  especially  when  they  seem  to 
agree  with  the  substance  of  the  Psalms  themselves. 
With  reference  to  the  thirty-fourth,  we  miss  something 
in  the  shape  of  confession  of  sin,  such  as  we  should 
have  expected  of  one  whose  lips  had  not  been  kept 
from  speaking  guile.  In  other  respects  the  psalm  fits 
the  situation.  The  image  of  the  young  lions  roaring 
for  their  prey  might  very  naturally  be  suggested  by  the 
wilderness.  But  the  chief  feature  of  the  psalm  is  the 
delightful  evidence  it  affords  of  the  blessing  that  comes 
from  trustful  fellowship  with  God.  And  there  is  an 
expression  that  seems  to  imply  that  that  blessing  had 
not  been  always  enjoyed  by  the  Psalmist ;  he  had  lost 
it  once ;  but  there  came  a  time  when  (ver.  4)  "  I 
sought  the  Lord,  and  He  answered  me,  and  delivered  me 
from  all  my  fears."     And  the  experience  of  that  new 


340  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL. 

time  was  so  delightful  that  the  Psalmist  had  resolved 
that  he  would  alwa3^s  be  on  that  tack  :  ''  I  will  bless  the 
Lord  at  all  tunes ;  His  praise  shall  continually  be  in  my 
mouth."  How  changed  the  state  of  his  spirit  from  the 
time  when  he  feigned  madness  at  Gath  I  When  he 
asks,  *'  What  man  is  he  that  desire th  life  and  loveth 
many  days  that  he  may  see  good?"  (ver.  12) — what 
man  would  fain  preserve  his  life  from  harassing  anxiety 
and  bewildering  dangers  ? — the  prompt  reply  is, 
''  Keep  thy  tongue  from  evil,  and  thy  lips  from  speaking 
guile."  Have  nothing  to  do  with  shifts  and  pretences 
and  false  devices ;  be  candid  and  open,  and  commit  all 
to  God.  ^'  O  taste  and  see  that  the  Lord  is  good  : 
blessed  is  the  man  that  trusteth  in  Him  O  fear  the 
Lord,  ye  His  saints  "  (for  you  too  are  liable  to  forsake 
the  true  confidence),  "  for  there  is  no  want  to  them  that 
fear  Him.  The  young  lions  do  lack  and  suffer  hunger, 
but  they  that  seek  the  Lord  shall  not  lack  any  good 
thing.  The  righteous  cry,  and  the  Lord  heareth,  and 
delivereth  them  out  of  all  their  troubles.  .  .  .  Many 
are  the  afflictions  of  the  righteous ;  but  the  Lord 
delivereth  them  out  of  them  all." 

"  The  sorrows  of  death  compassed  me,  and  the  pains 
of  hell  gat  hold  upon  me ;  I  found  trouble  and  sorrow. 
Then  called  I  upon  the  name  of  the  Lord  :  O  Lord, 
I  beseech  Thee,  deliver  my  soul.  Gracious  is  the  Lord, 
and  righteous  ;  yea,  our  God  is  merciful.  The  Lord 
preserveth  the  simple ;  I  was  brought  low,  and  He 
helped  me.  Return  unto  thy  rest,  O  my  soul,  for  the 
Lord  hath  dealt  bountifully  with  thee "  (Psalm  cxvi. 
3-7). 


CHAPTER    XXIX. 

DAVID  AT  ADULLAM,  MIZPEH,  AND  HARETH, 

I  Samuel  xxii. 

THE  cave  of  Adullam,  to  which  David  fled  on  leav- 
ing Gath,  has  been  placed  in  various  localities 
even  in  modern  times  ;  but  as  the  Palestine  Explora- 
tion authorities  have  placed  the  town  in  the  valley  of 
Elah,  we  may  regard  it  as  settled  that  the  cave  lay 
there,  not  far  indeed  from  the  place  where  David  had 
had  his  encounter  with  Goliath.  It  was  a  humble 
dwelling  for  a  king's  son-in-law,  nor  could  David  have 
thought  of  needing  it  on  the  memorable  day  when  he 
did  such  wonders  with  his  sling  and  stone.  These 
"  dens  and  caves  of  the  earth  " — effects  of  great  con- 
vulsions in  some  remote  period  of  its  history — what 
service  have  they  often  rendered  to  the  hunted  and 
oppressed  !  How  many  a  devout  saint,  of  whom  the 
world  was  not  worthy,  has  blessed  God  for  their 
shelter !  With  how  much  purer  devotion  and  loftier 
fellowship,  with  how  much  more  sublime  and  noble 
exercises  of  the  human  spirit  have  many  of  them  been 
associated,  than  some  of  the  proudest  and  costliest 
temples  that  have  been  reared  in  name — often  Httle 
more — to  the  service  of  God  I 

If  David  at  first  was  somewhat  an  object  of  jealous}' 
to  his  own  family    in  this  the  day  of  his  trials  they 


342  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL. 

showed  a  different  spirit,  *'  When  his  brethren  and  all 
his  father's  house  heard  of  it,  they  went  down  thither 
to  him."  As  the  proverb  says,  "  Blood  is  thicker  than 
water,"  and  often  adversity  draws  families  together 
between  whom  prosperity  has  been  like  a  wedge. 
If  our  relations  are  prospering  while  we  are  poor, 
w^e  think  of  them  as  if  they  had  moved  away  from  us ; 
but  when  their  fortunes  are  broken,  and  the  world  turns 
its  back  on  them,  we  get  closer,  our  sympathy  revives. 
We  think  all  the  better  of  David's  family  that  when 
they  heard  of  his  outlaw  condition  they  all  went  down 
to  him.  Besides  these,  *'  every  one  that  was  in  distress, 
and  every  one  that  was  in  debt,  and  every  one  that 
was  discontented,  gathered  themselves  unto  him;  and 
he  became  a  captain  over  them ;  and  there  were  with 
him  about  four  hundred  men."  The  account  here  given 
of  the  circumstances  of  this  band  is  not  very  flattering, 
but  there  are  two  things  connected  with  it  to  be  borne 
in  mind  :  in  the  first  place,  that  the  kind  of  men  who 
usually  choose  the  soldier's  caUing  are  not  your  men  of 
plodding  industry,  but  men  who  shrink  from  mono- 
tonous labour  ;  and,  in  the  second  place,  that  under  the 
absolute  rule  of  Saul  there  might  be  many  very  worthy 
persons  in  debt  and  discontented  and  in  distress,  men 
who  had  come  into  that  condition  because  they  were 
not  so  ready  to  cringe  to  despotism  as  their  ruler  de- 
sired. Mixed  and  motley  therefore  though  David's 
troop  may  have  been,  it  was  far  from  contemptible  ; 
and  their  adherence  was  fitted  greatly  to  encourage 
him,  because  it  showed  that  public  feeling  was  with 
him,  that  his  cause  was  not  looked  on  as  desperate, 
that  his  standard  was  one  to  which  it  was  deemed  safe 
and  hopeful  to  resort. 

But  if,  at  the  first  glance,  the  troop  appeared  some^ 


xxii.J      DAVID  AT  ADULLAM,    MIZPEH,   HARETH.      343 

what  disreputable,  it  was  soon  joined  by  two  men,  the 
one  a  prophet,  the  other  a  priest,  whose  adherence  must 
have  brought  to  it  a  great  accession  of  moral  weight. 
The  prophet  was  Gad  (ver.  5),  who  next  to  Samuel 
seems  to  have  stood  highest  in  the  nation  as  a  man  of 
God,  a  man  of  holy  counsel,  and  elevated,  heavenly 
character.  His  open  adherence  to  David  (which  seems 
to  be  implied  in  ver.  5)  must  have  had  the  best  effects 
both  on  David  himself  and  on  the  people  at  large.  It 
must  have  been  a  great  blessing  to  David  to  have  such 
a  man  as  Gad  beside  him;  for,  with  all  his  personal 
piety,  he  seems  to  have  required  a  godly  minister  at 
his  side.  No  man  derived  more  benefit  from  the  com- 
munion of  saints,  or  was  more  apt  to  suffer  for  want 
of  it;  for,  as  we  have  seen,  he  had  begun  to  decline 
in  spirituality  when  he  left  Samuel  at  Naioth,  and  still 
more  when  he  was  parted  from  Jonathan.  When  Gad 
joined  him,  David  must  have  felt  that  he  was  sent  to 
him  from  the  Lord,  and  could  not  but  be  full  of  grati- 
tude for  so  conspicuous  an  answer  to  his  prayers.  It 
would  seem  that  Gad  remained  in  close  relation  to 
David  to  the  close  of  his  life.  It  was  he  that  came  from 
the  Lord  to  offer  him  his  choice  between  three  forms  of 
chastisement  after  his  offence  in  numbering  the  people ; 
and  from  the  fact  of  his  being  called  ''  David's  seer " 
(2  Sam.  xxiv.  11)  we  conclude  that  he  and  David  were 
intimately  associated.  It  was  he  also  that  instructed 
David  to  buy  the  threshing-floor  of  Araunah  the 
Jebusite,  and  thus  to  consecrate  to  God  a  spot  vdth 
which,  to  the  very  end  of  time,  the  most  hallowed 
thoughts  must  always  be  connected. 

The  other  eminent  person  that  joined  David  about 
this  time  was  Abiathar  the  priest.  But  before  advert- 
ing to  this,  we  must  follow  the  thread  of  the  narrative 


344  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL, 

and  especially  note  the  tragedy  that  occurred  at  Nob, 
the  city  of  the  priests. 

From  the  mode  of  life  which  David  had  to  follow 
and  the  difficulty  of  obtaining  subsistence  for  his  troop 
at  one  place  for  any  length  of  time,  he  was  obliged 
to  make  frequent  changes.  On  leaving  the  cave  of 
Adullam,  which  was  near  the  western  border  of  the  tribe 
of  Judah,  he  traversed  the  whole  breadth  of  that  tribe, 
and  crossing  the  Jordan,  came  to  the  territories  of  Moab. 
He  was  concerned  for  the  safety  of  his  father  and 
mother,  knowing  too  well  the  temper  of  Eastern  kings, 
and  how  they  thirsted  for  the  blood,  not  only  of  their 
rivals,  but  of  all  their  relations.  He  feared  that  they 
would  not  be  let  alone  at  Bethlehem  or  in  any  other  part 
of  Saul's  kingdom.  But  what  led  him  to  think  of  the  king 
of  Moab  ?  Perhaps  a  tender  remembrance  of  his  ances- 
tress Ruth,  the  damsel  from  Moab,  who  had  been  so 
eminent  for  her  devotion  to  her  mother-in-law.  Might 
there  not  be  found  in  the  king  of  Moab  somewhat  of 
a  like  disposition,  that  would  look  wuth  pity  on  an  old 
man  and  woman  driven  from  their  home,  not  indeed, 
like  Naomi,  by  fam'ne,  but  by  what  was  even  worse,  the 
shameful  ingratitude  and  murderous  fury  of  a  wicked 
king  ?  If  such  was  David's  hope,  it  was  not  without 
success ;  his  father  and  his  mother  dwelt  with  the  king 
of  Moab  all  the  time  that  David  was  in  the  hold. 

But  it  was  not  God's  purpose  that  David  should  lurk 
in  a  foreign  land.  The  prophet  Gad  directed  him  to 
return  to  the  land  of  Judah.  It  was  within  the  boun- 
daries of  that  tribe,  accordingly,  that  the  rest  of  David's 
exile  was  spent,  with  the  exception  of  the  time  at  the 
very  end  when  he  again  resorted  to  Philistine  territory. 
His  first  hiding-place  was  the  forest  of  Hareth. 

While  David  was  here,  Saul,  encamped  in  military 


xxii.]      DAVID  AT  ADULLAM,   MIZPEH,   HA  RE  TIT.      345 

state  at  Gibeah,  delivered  an  extraordinary  speech  to 
the  men  of  his  own  tribe.  "  Hear  now,  ye  Benjamites  ; 
will  the  son  of  Jesse  give  every  one  of  you  fields  and 
vineyards,  and  make  you  all  captains  of  thousands,  and 
captains  of  hundreds ;  that  all  of  you  have  conspired 
against  me,  and  there  is  none  that  showeth  me  that  my 
son  hath  made  a  league  with  the  son  of  Jesse,  and  there 
is  none  of  you  that  is  sorry  for  me,  or  that  showeth  me 
that  my  son  hath  stirred  up  my  servant  against  me,  to 
lie  in  wait,  as  at  this  day  ? "  It  would  have  been 
difficult  for  any  other  man  to  condense  so  much  that  was 
vile  in  spirit  into  the  dimensions  of  a  little  speech  like 
this.  It  begins  with  a  base  appeal  to  the  cupidity  of  his 
countrymen,  the  Benjamites,  among  whom  he  was  pro- 
bably in  the  habit  of  distributing  the  possessions  of  his 
enemies,  as,  for  instance,  the  Gibeonites,  who  dwelt  near 
him,  and  whom  he  slew,  contrary  to  the  covenant  made 
with  them  by  Joshua  (2  Sam.  xxi.  2).  It  accuses  his 
people  of  having  conspired  against  him,  because  they 
had  not  spoken  to  him  of  the  friendship  of  his  son  with 
David,  although  that  fact  must  have  been  notorious. 
It  accuses  the  noble  Jonathan  of  having  stirred  up 
David  against  Saul,  while  neither  Jonathan  nor  David 
had  ever  hfted  a  little  finger  against  him,  and  both  the 
one  and  the  other  might  have  been  trusted  to  serve  him 
with  unflinching  fidelity  if  he  had  only  given  them  a 
fair  chance.  It  indicates  that  nothing  would  be  more 
agreeable  to  Saul  than  any  information  about  David 
or  these  connected  with  him  that  would  give  him  an 
excuse  for  some  deed  of  overwhelming  vengeance.  Did 
ever  man  draw  his  own  portrait  in  viler  colours  than 
Saul  in  this  speech  ? 

There   was  one  bosom — let  us   hope  only  one — in 
which  it  awoke  a  response.     It  was  that  of  Doeg  the 


•46  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL. 

Edomite.  He  told  the  story  of  what  he  had  seen  at 
Nob,  adding  thereto  the  unfounded  statement  that 
Ahimelech  had  inquired  of  the  Lord  for  David. 
Ahim^lech  and  the  whole  college  of  priests  were  accord- 
ingly sent  for,  and  they  came.  The  charge  brought 
against  him  was  a  very  offensive  one  ;  in  so  far,  it  was 
a  statement  of  facts,  but  of  facts  placed  in  an  odious 
light,  of  facts  coloured  with  a  design  which  Ahimelech 
never  entertained.  Oh,  how  many  an  innocent  man 
has  suffered  in  this  way !  Even  in  courts  of  justice, 
by  pleaders  whose  interest  is  on  the  other  side,  and  some- 
times by  judges  (like  Jeffreys)  steeped  in  hatred  and 
prejudice,  how  often  have  acts  that  were  quite  innocent 
been  put  to  the  account  of  treason,  or  put  to  the 
account  of  malice,  or  cunningly  forged  into  a  chain, 
indicating  a  deliberate  design  to  injure  another !  It 
can  never  be  too  earnestly  insisted  on  that  to  be  just 
to  a  man  you  must  not  merely  ascertain  the  real  facts 
of  his  case,  but  you  must  put  the  facts  in  their  true 
light,  and  not  colour  them  with  prejudices  of  your  own 
or  with  suppositions  which  the  man  repudiates. 

The  conduct  of  Ahimelech  was  manly  and  straight- 
forward, but  indiscreet.  He  admitted  the  facts,  with 
the  exception  of  the  statement  that  he  had  inquired  of 
the  Lord  for  David.  He  vindicated  right  manfully  the 
faithful,  noble  services  of  David,  services  that  ought  to 
have  excluded  the  very  idea  of  treason  or  conspiracy. 
He  protested  that  he  knew  nothing  of  any  ground  the 
king  had  against  David,  or  of  any  cause  that  could 
have  led  him  to  believe  that  in  helping  him  he  was 
offending  Saul.  But  just  because  Ahimelech's  defence 
was  so  true  and  so  complete,  it  was  most  offensive  to 
Saul.  What  is  there  a  despot  likes  worse  to  hear 
than  that  he  is  entirely  in  the  wrong  ?     What  words 


xxii.]      DAVID  AT  ADULLAM,    MIZPEH,   HARETH.      347 


irritate  him  so  much  as  those  which  prove  the  entire 
innocence  of  some  one  with  whom  he  is  angry? 
Saul  was  angry  both  with  David  and  with  Ahimelech. 
Ahimelech  had  the  great  misfortune  to  prove  to  him 
that  in  both  cases  there  was  no  shadow  of  ground  for 
his  anger.  In  proportion  as  Saul's  reason  should 
have  been  satisfied,  his  temper  was  excited.  What 
an  uncontrollable  condition  that  temper  must  have  been 
in  when  the  death  of  Ahimelech  was  decreed,  and  all 
his  father's  house  !  We  do  not  wonder  that  no  one 
could  be  found  in  his  bodyguard  to  execute  the  order. 
Did  this  not  stagger  and  sober  the  king  ?  Far  from 
it.  His  fit  of  rage  was  so  hot  and  imperious  that  he 
would  not  be  baulked.  Turning  to  Doeg,  he  com- 
manded him  to  fall  on  the  priests.  And  this  vile  man  had 
the  brutality  to  execute  the  order,  and  to  plunge  his 
sword  into  the  heart  of  fourscore  and  five  unarmed 
persons  that  wore  the  garments  which  even  in  heathei  i 
nations  usually  secured  protection  and  safety.  And  as 
if  it  were  not  enough  to  kill  the  men,  their  city,  Nob, 
was  utterly  destroyed.  Men  and  women,  children  and 
sucklings,  oxen  and  asses  and  sheep— a  thorough 
massacre  was  made  of  them  all.  Had  Nob  been  a 
city  of  warriors  that  had  resisted  the  king's  armies 
with  haughty  insolence,  harassed  them  by  sorties, 
entrapped  them  by  stratagems,  and  exasperated  them 
by  hideous  cruelty  to  their  prisoners,  but  at  last  been 
overpowered,  it  could  not  have  had  a  more  terrible 
doom.  And  had  Saul  never  committed  any  other 
crime,  this  would  have  been  enough  to  separate  him 
from  the  Lord  for  ever,  and  to  bring  down  on  him  the 
horrors  of  the  night  at  Endor  and  of  the  day  that 
followed  on  Mount  Gilboa. 

This  cruel  and  sacrilegious  murder  must  have  told 


348  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL, 

against  Saul  and  his  cause  with  prodigious  effect. 
There  could  not  have  been  a  single  priest  or  Le\ite 
throughout  fhe  kingdom  whose  blood  would  not  boil  at 
the  news  of  the  massacre,  and  whose  sympathies  w^ould 
not  be  enlisted,  more  or  less,  on  behalf  of  David,  now 
openly  proclaimed  by  Saul  as  his  rival,  and  probably 
known  to  have  been  anointed  by  Samuel  as  his  suc- 
cessor. Not  only  the  priests  and  Levites,  but  every 
rightminded  man  throughout  the  land  would  share  in 
this  feeling,  and  many  a  prayer  would  be  offered  for 
David  that  God  would  protect  him,  and  spare  him  to 
be  a  blessing  to  his  country.  The  very  presence  in  his 
camp  of  Abiathar,  the  son  of  Ahimelech,  who  escaped 
the  massacre,  with  his  ephod, — an  official  means  of 
consulting  God  in  all  cases  of  difficulty,— would  be  a 
visible  proof  to  his  followers  and  to  the  community  at 
large,  that  God  was  on  his  side.  And  when  the  solemn 
rites  of  the  national  worship  were  performed  in  his 
camp,  and  when,  at  each  turn  of  public  affairs,  the  high 
priest  was  seen  in  communication  with  Jehovah,  the 
feeling  could  not  fail  to  gain  strength  that  David's 
cause  was  the  cause  of  God,  and  the  cause  of  the 
country,  and  that,  in  due  time,  his  patient  sufferings 
and  his  noble  services  would  be  crowned  with  the  due 
reward. 

But  if  the  news  of  the  massacre  would  tend  on  the 
whole  to  improve  David's  position  with  the  people,  it 
must  have  occasioned  a  terrible  pang  to  David  himself. 
There  was,  indeed,  one  point  of  view  in  which  some- 
thing of  the  kind  was  to  be  looked  for.  Long  ago,  it 
had  been  foretold  to  Eli,  when  he  tolerated  so  calmly 
the  scandalous  wickedness  of  his  sons,  "  Behold,  the 
days  come  that  I  will  cut  off  thine  arm,  and  the  arm  of 
thy  father's  house,  but  there  shall  not  be  an  old  man 


Kxii.1      DAVID  AT  ADULLAM,   MJZPEH,   HARETH.      340 


in  thine  house.  And  thou  shalt  see  an  enemy  in  My 
habitation,  in  all  the  wealth  which  God  shall  give 
Israel :  and  there  shall  not  be  an  old  man  in  thy  house 
for  ever."  Ahimelech  was  a  grandson  of  Eli,  and  the 
other  massacred  priests  were  probably  of  Eli's  blood. 
Here,  then,  at  last,  was  the  fulfilment  of  the  sentence 
announced  to  Eli ;  doomed  as  his  house  had  been,  their 
siibsistence  for  years  back  was  of  the  nature  of  a  respite  ; 
and  here,  at  length,  was  the  catastrophe  that  had  been 
so  distinctly  foretold. 

That  consideration,  however,  would  not  be  much,  if 
any,  consolation  to  David.  If  the  falsehood  which  he 
had  told  to  Ahimelech  was  really  dictated  by  a  desire 
to  save  the  high  priest  from  conscious  implication  with 
his  affairs — with  the  condition  of  one  who  was  now  an 
outlaw  and  a  fugitive,  it  had  failed  most  terribly  of 
the  desire  deffect.  The  issue  of  the  lie  only  served  to 
place  David's  duplicity  in  a  more  odious  light.  There 
is  one  thing  in  David,  when  he  received  the  information, 
that  we  cannot  but  admire — his  readiness  to  take  to 
himself  his  full  share  of  blame.  '^  I  have  occasioned 
the  death  of  all  thy  father's  house."  And  more  than 
that,  he  did  not  even  protest  that  it  was  impossible  to 
have  foreseen  what  was  going  to  happen.  For  at  the 
very  time  when  he  was  practising  the  falsehood  on 
Ahimelech,  he  owns  that  he  had  a  presentiment  of  mis- 
chief to  follow.  "  I  knew  it  that  day,  when  Doeg  the 
Edomite  was  there,  that  he  would  surely  tell  Saul." 
Nor  did  he  excuse  himself  on  the  ground  that  the 
massacre  was  the  fulfilment  of  the  longstanding  sentence 
on  Eli's  house  He  knew  well  that  that  circuiAStance 
in  no  degree  lessened  his  own  guilt,  or  the  guilt  of 
Doeg  and  Saul.  Though  God  may  use  men's  wicked 
passions  to  bring  about  His  purposes,  that  in  no  degree 


3SO  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL. 

lessens  the  guilt  of  these  passions.  It  seems  as  if 
David  never  could  have  forgiven  himself  his  share  in 
this  dreadful  business.  And  what  a  warning  this 
conveys  to  us  !  Are  3^ou  not  sometimes  tempted  to 
think  that  sin  to  you  is  not  a  very  serious  matter, 
because  you  will  get  forgiveness  for  it,  the  atoning 
work  of  the  Saviour  will  cleanse  you  from  its  guilt  ? 
Be  it  so ;  but  what  if  your  sin  has  involved  others,  and 
if  no  atoning  blood  has  been  sprinkled  on  them  ?  What 
of  the  youth  whom  your  careless  example  first  led  to 
drink,  and  who  died  a  miserable  drunkard  ?  What  of 
the  clerk  whom  you  instructed  to  tell  a  lie  ?  What  of 
the  companion  of  your  sensuality  whom  you  drove 
nearer  to  hell  ?  Alas,  alas !  sin  is  like  a  network, 
the  ramifications  of  which  go  out  on  the  right  hand 
and  on  the  left,  and  when  we  break  God's  law,  we 
cannot  tell  what  the  consequences  to  others  may 
be  !  And  how  can  we  be  ever  comforted  if  we  have 
been  the  occasion  of  ruin  to  any  ?  It  seems  as  if  the 
burden  of  that  feeling  could  never  be  borne ;  as  if  the 
only  way  of  escape  were,  to  be  put  out  of  existence 
altogether ! 

The  superscription  of  the  fifty-second  Psalm  bears — 
"  Maschil  of  David  ;  when  Doeg  the  Edomite  came  and 
told  Saul,  David  is  come  to  the  house  of  Ahimelech." 
There  is  not  much  in  this  title  to  recommend  it,  as  the 
information  that  was  given  by  Doeg  to  Saul  is  not  stated 
accurately.  We  might  have  expected,  too,  that  if  Doeg 
was  alone  in  the  Psalmist's  eye,  the  atrocious  slaughter 
of  the  priests  would  have  had  a  share  of  reprobation, 
as  well  as  the  sharp,  calumnious,  mischievous  tongue 
which  is  the  chief  object  of  denunciation.  And  though 
Doeg,  as  the  chief  of  Saul's  bondmen,  might  be  a  rich 
man,  that  position  would  hardly  have  entitled  him  to  be 


xxii.]      DAVID  AT  ADULLAM,   MIZPEff,   HARETH.      351 

called  a  mighty  man,   nor  to   assume  the  swaggering 
tone  of  independence  here  ascribed  to  him.     Whoever 
was  really  the  object  of  denunciation  in  this   psalm, 
seems  however  to  have  belonged  to  the  same  class  with 
Doeg,  in  respect  of  his  wicked  tongue  and  love  of  mis- 
chief.     It  is  indeed  a  wretched  character  that  is  de- 
lineated :  the  Psalmist's  enemy  is  at  once  mischievous 
and  mighty  ;  and  not  only  is  he  misciiievous,  but  he 
boasts  himself  in  it.     He   is  shameless    and    without 
conscience,  bent  on  doing  all  the  evil  that  he  can.     Let 
him  only  have  a  chance  of  bringing  a  railing  accusation 
against  God's  servants,  and   he  does   it  with  delight. 
But  his  conduct  is  senseless  as  it  is  wicked.     God  is 
unchangeably  good,  and  His  goodness  is  a  sure  defence 
to  His  servants  against  all  the  calumnious  devices  of 
the  greatest  and  strongest  of  men.     It  is  the  tongue  of 
this  evil  man  that  is  his  instrument  of  mischief.     It 
is   utterly  unscrupulous,   sharp   as    a   razor,   cunning, 
devouring.      A   liar  is   a  serious   enemy,  one   who   is 
utterly  unprincipled,  clever  withal,  and  who  trains  him- 
self with  great  skill  to  do  mischief  with  his  tongue.     It 
is  painful  to  be  at  the  mercy  of  a  calumniator  who  does 
not  launch  against  you  a  clumsy  and  incredible  calumny, 
but  one  that  has  an  element  of  probability  in  it,  only 
fearfully  distorted.     Especially  when  the  calumniator  is 
one  that  deviseth  mischief,  who  loves  evil  more  than  good, 
to  whom  truth  is  too  tame  to  be  cared  for,  who  delights 
in  falsehood  because  it  is  more  piquant,  more  exciting. 
To  those  who  have  learned  to  regard  it  as  the  great 
business  of  life  to  spread  light,  order,  peace,  and  joy, 
such   men   appear   to   be   monsters,   and  indeed   they 
are;   but   it   is   a   painful   experience   to   lie   at   their 
mercy. 

To  this  class  belonged  Doeg,  a  monster  in  human 


352  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL, 

form,  to  whom  it  was  no  distress,  but  apparently  a 
congenial  employment,  to  murder  in  cold  blood  a  very 
hecatomb  of  men  consecrated  to  the  service  of  God. 
No  doubt  it  would  appal  David  to  think  that  such  a 
man  was  now  leagued  with  Saul  as  his  bitter  and 
implacable  enemy.  But  his  faith  saw  him  in  the  same 
prostrate  position  in  which  his  faith  had  seen  Goliath. 
Men  cannot  defy  God  in  vain.  Men  dare  net  defy  that 
truth  and  that  mercy  w'hich  are  attributes  of  God.  "God 
shall  likewise  destroy  thee  for  ever  :  He  sliall  take  thee 
.away,  and  pluck  thee  out  of  thy  dwelhng-place,  and 
root  thee  out  of  the  land  of  the  living.  The  righteous 
also  shall  see,  and  fear,  and  shall  laugh  at  him." 

What  became  of  Doeg  we  do  not  know.  The  his- 
torian dees  not  introduce  his  name  again.  Before 
David  came  to  power,  he  had  probably  received  his 
doom.  Had  he  still  survived,  we  should  have  been 
likely  again  to  fall  in  with  his  name.  The  Jews  have 
a  tradition  that  he  was  Saul's  armour-bearer  at  the 
battle  of  Gilboa,  and  that  the  sword  b}^  which  he 
and  his  master  fell,  was  no  other  than  that  which 
had  slain  the  priests  of  the  Lord.  As  for  the  truth 
of  this  we  cannot  say.  But  even  supposing  that  no 
special  judgment  befel  him,  we  cannot  fancy  him  as 
other  than  a  most  miserable  man.  With  such  a  heart 
and  such  a  tongue,  with  the  load  of  a  guilty  life  ly'iig 
heavy  on  his  soul,  and  that  life  crowned  by  such  an 
infamous  proceeding  as  the  massacre  of  the  priests, 
we  cannot  think  of  him  as  one  who  enjoyed  life,  but  as 
a  man  of  surly  and  gloomy  nature,  to  whom  life  grew 
darker  and  darker,  till  it  w^as  extinguished  in  som^ 
miserable  ending.  In  contrast  with  such  a  career,  how 
bright  and  how  much  to  be  desired  was  David's  antici- 
pated   future : — "  I  am   like  a  green  oHve-tree  in  the 


xxii.]      DAVID  AT  ADULLAM,   MIZPEH,   HARETti.      353 

house  of  my  God  :  I  trust  in  the  mercy  of  God  for  ever 
and  ever.  I  will  praise  Thy  name  for  ever,  because 
Thou  hast  done  it :  and  I  will  wait  on  Thy  name,  for  it 
is  good  before  Thy  saints." 

^*  Many  sorrows  sliall  be  to  the  wicked  ;  but  he  that 
trusteth  in  the  Lord,  mercy  shall  compass  him  about." 


CHAPTER    XXX. 

DAVID  AT  KEILAH,  ZIPH,  AND  MA  ON, 
I  Samuel  xxiii. 

THE  period  of  David's  life  shortly  sketched  in  this 
chapter,  must  have  been  full  of  trying  and  exciting 
events.  If  vi^e  knew  all  the  details,  they  would  pro- 
bably be  full  of  romantic  interest ;  many  a  tale  of 
privation,  disease,  discomfort,  on  the  one  hand,  and  of 
active  conflicts  and  hair-breadth  escapes  on  the  other. 
The  district  which  he  frequented  was  a  mountainous 
tract,  bordering  on  the  west  coast  of  the  Dead  Sea,  and 
lying  exposed  more  or  less  to  the  invasions  of  the 
neighbouring  nations.  In  the  immediate  neighbour- 
hood of  Ziph,  Maon,  and  Carmel,  the  country — a  fine 
upland  plain — is  remarkably  rich  and  fertile ;  but 
between  these  places  and  the  Dead  Sea  it  changes  to  a 
barren  wilderness ;  the  rocky  valleys  that  run  down  to 
the  margin  of  the  sea,  parched  by  the  heat  and  drought, 
produce  only  a  dry  stunted  grass.  Innumerable  caves 
are  everywhere  to  be  seen,  still  affording  shelter  to 
outlaws  and  robbers.  But  at  Engedi  (now  Ain-Jidy, 
"  the  fountain  of  the  goat "),  the  last  place  mentioned 
in  this  chapter,  the  traveller  finds  a  little  plain  on  the 
shore  of  the  Dead  Sea,  where  the  soil  is  remarkably 
rich  ;  a  dehcious  fountain  fertilizes  it ;  shut  in  between 
walls  of  rock,  both  its  cHmate  and  its  products  are  like 


xxiii.]      DAVID  AT  KEILAH,   ZIPII,   AND  MAON,  355 

those  of  the  tropics ;  it  only  wants  cultivation  to  render 
it  a  most  prolific  spot. 

By  what  means  did  David  obtain  sustenance  for  him- 
self and  his  large  troop  in  these  sequestered  regions  ? 
Bayle,  in  the  article  in  his  famous  Dictionary  on 
'^  David," — an  article  which  gave  the  cue  to  much  that 
has  been  said  and  written  against  him  since, — speaks 
of  them  as  a  troop  of  robbers,  and  compares  them  to 
the  associates  of  Catiline,  and  even  Dean  Stanley  calls 
them  *' freebooters."  Both  expressions  are  obviously 
unwarranted.  The  only  class  of  persons  whom  David 
and  his  troop  regarded  as  enemies  were  the  open 
enemies  of  his  country, — that  is,  either  persons  who 
lived  by  plunder,  or  the  tribes  on  whom  Saul,  equally 
Viith  himself,  would  have  made  war.  That  David  re- 
garded himself  as  entitled  to  attack  and  pillage  the 
Hebrew  settlers  in  his  own  tribe  of  Judah  is  utterly 
inconsistent  with  all  that  we  know  both  of  his  character 
and  of  his  history.  If  David  had  a  weakness,  it  lay 
in  his  extraordinary  partiality  for  his  own  people, 
contrasted  with  his  hard  and  even  harsh  feelings  to- 
wards the  nations  that  so  often  annoyed  them.  Nothing 
was  too  good  for  a  Hebrew,  nothing  too  severe  for  an 
alien.  In  after  life,  we  see  how  his  heart  was  torn  to 
its  very  centre  by  the  judgment  that  fell  upon  his  people 
after  his  offence  in  numbering  the  people  (2  Sam.  xxiv. 
17) ;  while  the  record  of  his  severity  to  the  Ammonites 
cannot  be  read  without  a  shudder  (2  Sam.  xii.  31). 
Besides,  in  this  very  narrative,  in  the  account  of  his 
collision  with  Nabal  (i  Sam.  xxv.  7),  we  find  David 
putting  in  the  very  forefront  of  his  message  to  the 
churl  the  fact  that  all  the  time  he  and  his  troop  were 
in  Carmel  the  shepherds  of  Nabal  sustained  no  hurt, 
and    his    flocks   no   diminution.      Instead   of  fleecing 


356  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL, 

his  own  countrymen,  he  sent  them  presents  when  he 
was  more  successful  than  usual  against  their  common 
foes  (i  Sam.  xxx.  26).  Unquestionably  therefore 
such  terms  as  *^  robbers  "  and  ^'  freebooters  "  are  quite 
undeserved. 

One  chief  source  of  support  would  obviously  be  the 
chase — the  wild  animals  that  roamed  among  these 
mountains,  the  wild  goat  and  the  coney,  the  pigeon 
and  the  partridge,  and  other  creatures  whose  flesh 
was  clean.  Possibly,  patches  of  soil,  like  the  oasis 
at  Engedi,  would  be  cultivated,  and  a  scanty  return 
obtained  from  the  labour.  A  third  employment  would 
be  that  of  guarding  the  flocks  of  the  neighbouring  shep- 
herds both  from  bears,  wolves,  and  lions,  and  from  the 
attacks  of  plundering  bands,  for  which  service  some  ac- 
knowledgment was  certainly  due.  At  the  best,  it  was 
obviously  a  most  uncomfortable  mode  of  life,  making 
not  a  little  rough  work  very  necessary ;  an  utter  con- 
trast to  the  peaceful  early  days  of  Bethlehem,  and 
rendering  it  infinitely  more  difficult  to  sing,  "The  Lord 
is  my  shepherd,  I  shall  not  want." 

Acting  as  guardian  to  the  shepherds  in  the  neighbour- 
hood, and  being  the  avowed  foe  of  all  the  Arab  tribes 
who  were  continually  making  forays  from  their  desert 
haunts  on  the  land  of  Judah,  David  was  in  the  very  midst 
of  enemies.  Hence  probably  the  allusions  in  some  of  the 
psalms.  "  Consider  mine  enemies,  for  they  are  many, 
and  they  hate  me  with  cruel  hatred."  ^'  Mine  enemies 
would  daily  swallow  me  up,  for  there  be  many  that  fight 
against  me,  O  Thou  Most  High."  "  My  soul  is  among 
lions,  and  I  lie  even  among  them  that  are  set  on  fire, 
even  the  sons  of  men  whose  teeth  are  spears  and  arrows 
and  their  tongue  a  sharp  sword."  Could  we  know  all 
his  trials  and  difficulties,  we  should  be  amazed  at  his 


Kxiii.]      DAVID  AT  KEILAH,   ZIPH,   AND  MAON.  357 

tranquillity.  One  morning,  an  outpost  brings  him  word 
that  Saul  is  marching  against  him.  He  hastily  arranges 
a  retreat,  and  he  and  his  men  clamber  over  the  moun- 
tains, perhaps  under  a  burning  sun,  and  reach  their 
halting-place  at  night,  exhausted  with  thirst,  hunger, 
and  fatigue.  Scarcely  have  they  lain  down,  when  an 
alarm  is  given  that  a  body  of  Bedouins  are  plundering 
the  neighbouring  sheepfolds.  Forget'ful  of  their  fatigues, 
they  rush  to  their  arms,  pursue  the  invaders,  and  rescue 
the  prey.  Next  morning,  perhaps,  the  very  men  whose 
flock  he  had  saved,  refuse  to  make  him  any  acknow- 
ledgment. Murmurs  rise  from  his  hungry  followers, 
and  a  sort  of  mutiny  is  threatened  if  he  will  not  allow 
them  to  help  themselves.  To  crown  all,  he  learns  by- 
and-bye,  that  the  people  whom  he  has  delivered  have 
turned  traitors  and  are  about  to  give  him  up  to  Saul. 
Wonderful  was  the  faith  that  could  rise  above  such 
troubles,  and  say,  ''Mine  eyes  are  ever  toward  the  Lord, 
for  He  shall  pluck  my  feet  out  of  the  net." 

In  illustration  of  these  remarks  let  us  note  first  what 
took  place  in  connection  with  Keilah.  This  was  a  place 
of  strength  and  importance  not  far  from  the  land  of  the 
Philistines.  A  rumour  reaches  him  that  the  Philistines 
are  fighting  against  it  and  robbing  the  threshing-floors. 
The  first  thing  he  does,  on  hearing  this  rumour,  is  to 
inquire  of  God  whether  he  should  go  and  attack  the 
Philistines.  It  is  not  a  common  case.  The  Philistines 
were  a  powerful  enemy;  probably  their  numbers  were 
large,  and  it  was  a  serious  thing  for  David  to  provoke 
them  when  he  had  so  many  enemies  besides.  This 
was  evidently  the  feeling  of  his  followers.  "  Behold,  we 
be  afraid  here  in  Judah  :  hov/  much  more  then  if  we  go 
to  Keilah  against  the  armies  of  the  Philistines  ?  "  But 
David  is  in  an  admirable  frame  of  mind,  and  his  only 


358  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL, 

anxiety  is  about  knowing  precisely  the  will  of  God. 
He  inquires  again,  and  when  he  gets  his  answer  he  does 
not  hesitate  an  instant.  It  was  about  this  time  that 
Abiathar  the  son  of  Ahimelech  came  to  him,  bringing 
an  ephod  from  Nob,  perhaps  the  only  sacred  thing  that 
in  the  hurry  and  horror  of  his  flight  he  was  able  to  carry 
away.  And  now,  in  his  time  of  need,  David  finds  the 
value  of  these  things ;  he  knows  the  privilege  of  fearing 
God,  and  of  having  God  at  his  right  hand.  The 
fears  of  his  men  appear  now  to  be  overcome ;  he  goes 
to  Keilah,  attacks  the  Philistines,  smites  them  with 
a  very  great  slaughter,  brings  away  their  cattle  and 
rescues  the  people.  It  is  a  great  deliverance,  and 
David,  with  peace  and  plenty  around  him,  and  the 
benedictions  of  the  men  of  Keilah,  breathes  freely  and 
praises  God. 

But  his  sense  of  ease  and  tranquillity  was  of  short 
duration.  Saul  hears  of  what  has  taken  place,  and 
hears  that  David  has  taken  up  his  quarters  within  the 
town  of  Keilah.  He  chuckles  over  the  news  with 
fiendish  satisfaction,  for  Keilah  is  a  fortified  town;  he 
will  be  able  to  shut  up  David  within  its  walls  and  lay 
siege  to  the  place,  and  when  he  has  taken  it,  David  will 
be  at  his  mercy.  But  Saul,  as  usual,  reckons  without 
his  host.  David  has  received  information  that  leads  him 
to  suspect  that  Saul  is  meditating  mischief  against  him, 
and  it  looks  as  if  he  had  come  to  Keilah  only  to  fall 
into  a  trap, — to  fall  into  the  hands  of  Saul.  But  though 
a  new  danger  has  arisen,  the  old  refuge  still  remains. 
*'  Bring  hither  the  ephod,"  he  says  to  Abiathar.  And 
communication  being  again  established  with  Heaven, 
two  questions  are  asked  :  Will  Saul  come  down  to 
Keilah,  to  destroy  the  city  for  David's  sake  ?  Yes,  he 
will.     Will  the  men  of  Keilah  whom  David  has  saved 


xxiii.]      DAVID  AT  KEILAH,   ZIPH,   AND  MAON. 


359 


from  the  Philistines  distinguish  themselves  for  their 
gratitude  or  for  their  treachery?  They  will  become 
traitors ;  they  will  deliver  David  up  to  Saul.  So  there 
is  nothing  for  it  but  tor  David  to  escape  from  Keilah. 
The  worst  of  it  is,  he  has  no  other  place  to  go  to.  He 
goes  forth  from  Keilah,  as  his  father  Abraham  went 
forth  from  Ur  of  the  Chaldees,  not  knowing  whither. 
He  and  his  followers  went  "  whithersoever  they  could 
go."  Treachery  was  a  new  foe,  and  when  the  treachery 
was  on  the  part  of  those  on  whom  he  had  just  conferred 
a  signal  benefit,  it  was  most  discouraging;  it  seemed  to 
indicate  that  he  could  never  be  safe. 

Flying  from  Keilah,  he  takes  refuge  in  a  part  of  the 
wilderness  near  Ziph.  Being  very  rocky  and  moun- 
tainous, it  affords  good  opportunities  for  hiding ;  but  in 
proportion  as  it  is  advantageous  for  that  purpose,  it  is 
unfavourable  for  getting  sufficient  means  of  subsistence. 
A  wood  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Ziph  afforded  the 
chance  of  both.  In  this  wood  David  enjoys  the  extra- 
ordinary privilege  of  a  meeting  with  Jonathan.  What 
a  contrast  to  his  treatment  from  the  men  of  Keilah! 
If,  on  turning  his  back  on  them,  he  was  disposed 
to  say,  ^'All  men  are  liars,"  the  blessed  generosity 
of  Jonathan  modifies  the  sentiment.  In  such  circum- 
stances, the  cheering  words  of  his  friend  and  the 
warmth  of  his  embrace  must  have  come  on  David 
with  infinite  satisfaction.  They  were  to  him  what  the 
loving  words  of  the  dying  thief  were  to  the  Saviour, 
amid  the  babel  and  blasphemy  of  Calvary.  Who, 
indeed,  does  not  see  in  the  David  of  this  time, 
persevering  in  his  work  under  such  fearful  discourage- 
ments, under  the  treachery  of  men  with  hearts  like 
Judas  Iscariot,  experiencing  the  worst  treatment  from 
some  whom  he  had  benefited  already,  and  from  others 


36o  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL. 

whom  he  was  to  benefit  still  more — v;ho  can  fail  to  see 
the  type  of  Christ,  patiently  enduring  the  cross  at  the 
hands  and  in  the  stead  of  the  very  men  whom  by  His 
sufferings  He  was  to  save  and  bless  ?  For  David,  Hke 
our  blessed  Lord,  though  not  with  equal  steadfastness, 
drinks  the  cup  which  the  Father  has  given  him  ;  he 
]  olds  to  the  work  which  has  been  given  him  to  do. 

The  brief  note  of  Jonathan's  words  to  David  in  the 
wood  is  singularly  beautiful  and  suggestive.  ''Jona- 
than, Saul's  son,  arose  and  went  to  David  into  the 
wood,  and  strengthened  his  hand  in  God.  And  he 
said  unto  him.  Fear  not ;  for  the  hand  of  Saul  my 
father  shall  not  find  thee  ;  and  thou  shalt  be  king  over 
Israel,  and  I  shall  be  next  unto  thee,  and  that  also 
Saul  my  father  knoweth."  To  begin  with  the  last 
of  Jonathan's  words,  what  a  lurid  light  they  throw 
on  the  conduct  of  Saul  !  He  was  under  no  misappre- 
hension as  to  the  Divine  destiny  of  David.  He  must 
have  known  therefore  that  in  fighting  against  David, 
he  was  fighting  against  God.  It  looks  unaccountable 
madness  ;  yet  what  worse  is  it  than  a  thousand  other 
schemes  in  which,  to  carry  out  their  ends,  men  have 
trampled  on  every  moral  precept,  as  if  there  were  no 
God,  no  lawgiver,  ruler,  or  judge  above,  no  power  in 
hell  or  heaven  witnessing  their  actions  to  bring  them 
all  into  judgment  ? 

In  his  words  to  David  the  faith  and  piety  ol 
Jonathan  were  as  apparent  as  his  friendship.  He 
strengthened  his  hand  in  God.  Simple  but  beautiful 
words  !  He  put  David's  hand  as  it  were  into  God's 
hand,  in  token  that  they  were  one,  in  token  that  the 
Almighty  was  pledged  to  keep  and  bless  him,  and  that 
when  he  and  his  God  were  together,  no  weapon  formed 
against    him  would    ever    prosper.     Surely   no    act  of 


xxiii.]      DAVID  A  7  KEILAH,  ZIFH,  AND  MA  ON.  361 

friendship  is  so  true  friendship  as  this.  To  remind  our 
Christian  friends  in  their  day  of  trouble  of  their  relation 
to  God,  to  encourage  them  to  think  of  His  interest  in 
them  and  His  promises  to  them  ;  to  drop  in  their  ear 
some  of  His  assurances — ^'I  will  never  leave  thee  nor  for- 
sake thee/' — is  surely  the  best  of  all  ways  to  encourage 
the  downcast,  and  send  them  on  their  way  rejoicing. 

And  what  a  hallowed  word  that  was  with  which 
Jonathan  began  his  exhortation — ''  Fear  not."  The 
''fear  not's"  of  Scripture  are  a  remarkable  garland. 
All  of  them  have  their  root  in  grace,  not  in  nature. 
They  all  imply  a  firm  exercise  of  faith.  And  Jonathan's 
"  fear  not  "  was  no  exception.  If  David  had  not  been 
a  man  of  faith,  it  would  have  sounded  like  hollow 
mockery.  "  The  hand  of  Saul  my  father  shall  not  find 
thee."  Was  not  Saul  with  his  well-equipped  force, 
at  that  very  moment,  within  a  few  miles  of  him,  while 
he,  with  his  half-starved  followers  was  at  his  very  wits' 
end,  not  knowing  where  to  turn  to  next  ?  "  Thou 
shalt  be  king  over  Israel."  Nay,  friend,  I  should 
be  well  pleased,  David  might  have  said,  if  I  were 
again  feeding  my  father's  flocks  in  Bethlehem,  with  all 
that  has  happened  since  then  obliterated,  reckoned  as 
if  it  had  never  been.  "  And  I  shall  be  next  unto  thee." 
O  Jonathan,  how  canst  thou  say  that  ?  Thou  art  the 
king's  eldest  son,  the  throne  ought  to  be  thine,  there  is 
none  worthier  of  it ;  the  very  fact  that  thou  canst  say 
that  to  me  shows  what  a  kingly  generosity  is  in  thy 
bosom,  and  how  well  entitled  thou  art  to  reign  over 
Israel !  Yes,  David,  but  does  not  the  very  fact  of 
Jonathan  using  such  words  show  that  he  is  in  closest 
fellowship  with  God  ?  Only  a  man  pervaded  through 
and  through  by  the  Spirit  of  God  could  speak  thus 
to  the  person  who  stands  between  him  and  what  the 


362  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL, 

world  would  call  his  reasonable  ambition.  In  that 
spirit  of  Jonathan  there  is  a  goodness  altogether  Divine. 
Oh  what  a  contrast  to  his  father,  to  Saul !  What  a 
contrast  to  the  ordinary  spirit  of  jealousy,  when  some 
one  is  like  to  cut  us  out  of  a  coveted  prize  !  Some  one 
at  school  is  going  to  beat  you  at  the  competition.  Some 
one  in  business  is  going  to  get  the  situation  for  which 
you  are  so  eager.  Some  one  is  going  to  carry  off  the 
fair  hand  to  which  you  so  ardently  aspire.  Where,  oli 
where,  in  such  cases,  is  the  spirit  of  Jonathan  ?  Look 
at  it,  study  it,  admire  it ;  and  in  its  clear  and  serene 
light,  see  what  a  black  and  odious  spirit  jealousy  is ; 
and  oh,  seek  that  you^  by  the  grace  of  God,  may  be, 
not  a  Saul,  but  a  Jonathan  ! 

It  would  appear  that  Saul  had  left  the  neighbourhood 
of  Ziph  in  despair  of  finding  David,  and  had  returned 
to  Gibeah.  But  the  distance  was  small — probably  not 
more  than  a  long  day's  journey.  And  after  a  time. 
Saul  is  recalled  to  Ziph  by  a  message  from  the  Ziphites 
^'  Then  came  up  the  Ziphites  to  Saul  to  Gibeah,  saying, 
Doth  not  David  hide  himself  with  us  in  strong  holds  in 
the  woods,  in  the  hill  of  Hachilah,  which  is  on  the 
south  of  Jeshimon  ?  Now  therefore,  O  king,  come 
down  according  to  all  the  desire  of  thy  soul  to  come 
down;  and  our  part  shall  be  to  deliver  him  into  the 
king's  hand."  The  men  of  Keilah  had  not  gone  the  length 
of  treachery,  for  when  they  were  thinking  of  it,  David 
escaped;  but  even  if  they  had,  they  would  have  had  some- 
thing to  say  for  themselves.  Was  it  not  better  to  give 
up  David  and  let  him  suffer,  than  to  keep  him  in  their 
city,  and  let  both  him  and  them  and  their  city  share  the 
fate,  as  they  would  have  been  sure  to  do,  of  Ahimelech 
and  the  city  of  Nob, — that  is,  be  utterly  destroyed  ? 
But  the  men  of  Ziph  were  in  no  such  dilemma.     Their 


jcxiii.]      DAVID  AT  KEILAH,    ZIPH,   A  YD  MAON.  363 

treachery  was  simple  meanness.  They  no  doubt  wished 
to  ingratiate  themselves  with  Saul.  They  had  no  faith 
either  in  David,  or  in  God's  prom.iscs  regarding  him. 
Disbelieving  God,  they  acted  inhumanly  to  man.  They 
let  Saul  know  his  best  opportunity,  and  when  he  came 
on  the  spot,  apparently  of  a  sudden,  David  and  his  troop 
were  surrounded,  and  their  escape  seemed  to  be  cut  off. 
Here  was  a  strange  commentary  on  the  strong  assurance 
of  Jonathan,  ^'  Saul  my  father  shall  not  find  thee."  Has 
he  not  found  me,  only  to  too  good  purpose  ?  But 
man's  extremity  is  God's  opportunity.  When  Saul 
seems  ready  to  pounce  on  David,  a  messenger  arrives, 
"  Haste  thee,  and  come,  for  the  Piiilistines  have  invaded 
the  land."  The  danger  was  imminent,  and  Saul  could 
not  afford  to  lose  an  hour.  And  thus,  on  the  very  eve 
of  seizing  the  prey  he  had  been  hunting  for  years,  he  is 
compelled  to  let  it  go. 

It  is  edifying  to  observe  all  the  different  ways  in 
which  the  Divine  protection  toward  David  had  been 
shown,  all  the  time  that  he  had  been  exposed  to  the 
hostility  of  Saul.  First  of  all,  when  Saul  spoke  to  his 
servants  and  to  Jonathan  that  they  should  kill  David, 
Jonathan  was  raised  up  to  take  his  side,  and  by  his 
friendly  counsels,  arrested  for  the  time  the  murderous 
purpose  of  Saul.  Next,  when  Saul  hurled  a  javelin  at 
David,  a  rapid  movement  saved  his  life.  The  third 
time,  he  was  let  down  through  a  window  by  his  wife, 
in  time  to  escape.  The  fourth  time,  the  messengers 
that  were  sent  to  apprehend  him  were  filled  with  the 
Spirit  of  God,  and  even  Saul,  determined  to  make  up 
for  their  lack  of  service,  underwent  the  same  transform- 
ation. The  fifth  time,  when  he  was  in  Keilah,  he 
was  supematurally  warned  of  the  unkind  treachery  of 
the  men  of  Keilah;  and  thus  escaped  the  snare.    And 


364  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL, 

now,  a  sixth  escape  is  effected,  in  the  very  article 
of  death,  so  to  speak,  by  a  Philistine  invasion.  Thus 
was  illustrated  that  wonderful  diversity  of  plan  that 
characterises  the  ways  of  God,  that  '^  variety  in  unity  " 
which  we  may  trace  alike  in  the  kingdom  of  nature, 
of  providence,  and  of  grace.  A  similar  variety  is  seen 
in  His  deliverances  of  Israel.  At  one  time  the  sea 
is  divided,  at  another  the  sun  stands  still ;  Gideon 
delivers  by  lamps  and  pitchers,  Shamgar  by  his  ox- 
goad,  Samson  by  the  jawbone  of  an  ass,  Jephthah 
by  his  military  talents,  David  by  his  sling  and  stone, 
Daniel  by  his  skill  in  dreams,  Esther  by  her  beauty 
and  power  of  fascination.  To  remember  such  things 
ought  to  give  you  confidence  in  times  of  perplexity  and 
danger.  If  it  be  God's  purpose  to  dehver  you,  He  has 
thousands  of  unseen  methods,  to  any  one  of  which  He 
may  resort,  when,  to  the  eye  of  sense,  there  seems  not 
the  shadow  of  a  hope.  And  one  reason  why  He  seems 
at  times  to  doom  His  children  to  inevitable  ruin,  is  that 
He  may  call  their  faith  and  their  patience  into  higher 
exercise,  and  teach  them  more  impressively  the  sublime 
lesson — "  Stand  still,  and  see  the  salvation  of  God." 

The  fifty-fourth  Psalm  bears  an  inscription  that 
would  refer  it  to  this  occasion.  There  are  some 
expressions  in  the  psalm  that  hardly  agree  with  this 
reference ;  but  the  general  situation  is  quite  in  keeping 
with  it.  "  Save  me,  O  God,"  the  Psalmist  cries,  '*  by 
Thy  name,  and  judge  me  by  Thy  strength."  The 
danger  from  which  he  needs  to  be  saved  comes  from 
strangers  that  are  risen  up  against  him,  and  opposers 
that  seek  after  his  soul ;  persons  '^  that  have  not  set 
God  before  them."  To  be  saved  by  God's  name  is  to 
be  saved  through  attributes  which  are  manifestly 
Divine ;    to    be  judged    by   God's   strength^    is    to    be 


xxiii.]      DAVID  AT  KEILAH,   ZIPH,  AND  MAON, 


365 


vindicated,  to  be  shown  to  be  under  God's  favour  and 
protection,  by  the  manifest  exercise  of  His  power.    The 
petitions  are  such  as  David  might  well  have  made  after 
his  conversation  with  Jonathan.     The  psalm  is  evidently 
the  song  of  one  whose  hand  had  been  ^'strengthened 
in   God."     Its   great  central    truth  is,   "God  is    mine 
helper;  the  Lord  is    with    them    who  (like  Jonathan) 
uphold  my  soul."     And  there  comes  after  that  a  happy 
exercise  of  the  spirit  of  trust,  enabling  the  Psalmist  to 
say,  '^  He  hath  delivered  me  out  of  all  trouble."     This 
result   is  wonderful   a^d    beautiful.     How   remarkable 
that  m  that  wilderness  c/ Ji:dah,  amid  a  life  of  hardship, 
exposure,  and  peril,  with  a  powerful  king  thirsting  for 
his    blood,  and  using  his  every  device  to  get  hold  of 
him,    he   should    be   able    to   say  of  God,    ''He  hath 
ddivered  me  out  of  all  trouble."     It  is  the  faith  that 
removes   mountains  :    it  is   the   faith   that  worked    so 
wonderfully  when  the  lad  with  the  shng   and    stones 
went  out  so  bravely  against  the  giant.     What  wonders 
cannot   faith    perform    when    it   gets   clear   of  all   the 
entanglements  of  carnal  feeling,  and  stands,  firm  and 
erect,  on  the  promise  of  God  !     How  infinitely  would 
such  a  faith   relieve  and  sustain   us    in    che  common 
troubles  and  anxieties  of  life,  and  in  deeper  perplexities 
connected  with  the  cause  of  God  !      Take   this   short 
clause  as  marking  out  the  true  quality  and  highest  at- 
tauiment  of  simple  faith,  and  resolve  that  you  will  not 
rest  in  your  own  endeavours  till  your  mind  reaches  the 
state  of  tranquillity  which  it  describes  so  simply,—'*  He 
hath  delivered  me  out  of  all  trouble." 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 

DAVID  TWICE  SPARES  THE  LIFE  OF  SAUL. 
I  Samuel  xxiv.,  xxvL 

THE  invasion  of  the  Philistines  had  freed  David  from 
the  fear  of  Saul  for  a  time,  but  only  for  a  time. 
He  knew  full  well  that  when  the  king  of  Israel  had 
once  repelled  that  invasion  he  would  return  to  prosecute 
the  object  on  which  his  heart  was  so  much  set.  For  a 
while  he  took  refuge  among  the  rocks  of  Engedi,  that 
beautiful  spot  of  which  we  have  already  spoken,  and 
which  has  been  embalmed  in  Holy  Writ,  as  suggest- 
ing a  fair  image  of  the  Beloved  One — "  My  beloved  is 
unto  me  as  a  cluster  of  camphire  in  the  vineyards 
of  Engedi"  (Song  of  Solomon  i.  14).  The  mountains 
here  and  throughout  the  hill  country  of  Judea  are 
mostly  of  limestone  formation,  abounding,  like  all  such 
rocks,  in  caverns  of  large  size,  in  which  lateral  chambers 
run  off  at  an  angle  from  the  main  cavity,  admitting  of 
•course  little  or  no  light,  but  such  that  a  person  inside, 
while  himself  unseen,  may  see  what  goes  on  at  the 
entrance  to  the  cave.  In  the  dark  sides  of  such  a  cave, 
David  and  his  men  lay  concealed  when  Saul  was 
observed  by  him  to  enter  and  lie  down,  probably  un- 
attended, to  enjoy  the  mid-day  sleep  which  the  heat  Df 
the  cHmate  often  demands.  We  cannot  fail  to  remark 
the  singular   providence  that   concealed   from  Saul  at 


xxiv.,  xxvi.]         DAVID    TWICE  SPARES  SAUL.  tJoi 

this  time  the  position  of  David.  He  had  good  informa- 
tion of  his  movements  in  general;  the  treacherous 
spirit  which  was  so  prevalent,  greatly  aided  him  in 
this  ;  but  on  the  present  occasion,  he  was  evidently  in 
ignorance  of  his  situation.  If  only  he  had  known,  how 
easy  it  would  have  been  for  him  with  his  three  thousand 
chosen  men  to  blockade  the  cave,  and  starve  David  and 
his  followers  into  surrender ! 

The  entrance  of  the  king  being  noticed  by  David's 
men,  they  urged  their  master  to  avail  himself  of  the 
opportunity  of  getting  rid  of  him  which  was  now  so 
providentially  and  unexpectedly  presented  to  him. 
We  can  hardly  think  of  a  stronger  temptation  to  do 
so  than  that  under  which  David  now  lay.  In  the  first 
place,  there  was  the  prospect  of  getting  rid  of  the  weary 
life  he  was  leading,  — more  like  the  life  of  a  wild  beast 
hunted  by  its  enemies,  than  of  a  man  eager  to  do  good 
to  his  fellows,  with  a  keen  relish  for  the  pleasures  of 
home  and  an  extraordinary  delight  in  the  services  of 
God's  house.  Then  there  was  the  prospect  of  wearing 
the  crown  and  wielding  the  sceptre  of  Israel, — the 
splendours  of  a  royal  palace,  and  its  golden  oppor- 
tunities of  doing  good.  Further,  there  was  the  voice 
of  his  followers  urging  him  to  the  deed,  putting  on  it  a 
sacred  character  by  ascribing  to  it  a  Divine  permission 
and  appointment.  And  still  further,  there  was  the 
suddenness  and  unexpectedness  of  the  opportunity. 
Nothing  is  more  critical  than  a  sudden  opportunity  of 
indulging  an  ardent  passion  ;  with  scarcely  a  moment  for 
deliberation,  one  is  apt  to  be  hurried  blindly  along,  and 
at  once  to  commit  the  deed.  With  all  his  noble  nature, 
Robert  the  Bruce  could  not  refrain  from  plunging  his 
dagger  into  the  heart  of  the  treacherous  Comyn,  even 
in  the  convent  of  the  Minorite  friars.     The  discipline 


368  THE  FIRST  BOCK  OF  SAMUEL. 

of  David's  spirit  must  at  this  time  have  been  admirable. 
Not  only  did  he  restrain  himself,  but  he  restrained  his 
followers  too.  He  w^ould  neither  strike  his  heartless 
enemy,  nor  suffer  another  to  strike  him.  On  the  first 
of  the  two  occasions  of  his  sparing  him — recorded 
in  the  twenty-fourth  chapter — he  might  naturally 
believe  that  his  forbearance  would  turn  Saul's  heart 
and  end  the  unjust  quarrel.  On  the  second  occasion 
of  the  same  sort — recorded  in  the  twenty-sixth  chapter 
— he  could  have  had  no  hope  of  the  kind.  It  was  a 
pure  sense  of  duty  that  restrained  him.  He  acted  in 
utter  contempt  of  what  was  personal  and  selfish,  and 
in  deepest  reverence  for  what  was  holy  and  Divine. 
How  different  from  the  common  spirit  of  the  world  ! 
Young  people,  who  are  so  ready  to  keep  up  a  sense  of 
wrong,  and  wait  an  opportunity  of  paying  back  your 
schoolfellows,  study  this  example  of  David.  Ye  grown 
men,  who  could  not  get  such-a-one  to  vote  for  you,  or 
to  support  your  claim  in  your  controversy,  and  who 
vowed  that  you  would  never  rest  till  you  had  driven 
him  from  the  place,  how  does  your  spirit  compare  with 
that  of  David  ?  Ye  statesmen,  who  have  received  an 
aff'ront  from  some  barbarous  people,  utterly  ignorant 
of  3^our  ways,  and  who  forthwith  issue  your  orders  for 
your  ships  of  war  to  scatter  destruction  among  their 
miserable  villages,  terrifying,  killing,  mutilating,  no 
matter  how  many  of  the  wretches  that  have  no  arms  to 
meet  you  in  fair  fight — think  of  the  forbearance  of 
David.  And  think  too  of  many  passages  in  the  New 
Testament  that  give  the  idea  of  another  treatment  and 
another  species  of  victory  : — '^  Therefore,  if  thine  enemy 
hunger,  feed  him ;  if  he  thirst,  give  him  drink ;  for  in 
so  doing  thou  shalt  heap  coals  of  fire  on  his  head.  Be 
not  overcom.e  of  evil,  but  overcome  evil  with  good." 


xxiv.,xxvi.]  DAVID    TWICE  SPARES  SAUL.  369 

The  special  consideration  tliat  held  back  the  arm  of 
David  from  killing  Saul  was  that  he  was  the  Lord's 
anointed.  He  held  the  office  of  king  by  Divine  appoint- 
ment,— not  merely  as  other  kings  may  be  regarded  as 
holding  it,  but  as  God's  lieutenant,  called  specially, 
and  selected  for  the  office.  For  David  to  remove  him 
would  be  to  interfere  with  the  Divine  prerogative.  It 
would  be  so  much  the  more  inexcusable  as  God  had 
many  other  ways  of  removing  him,  any  one  of  which 
He  might  readily  employ.  "  David  said  furthermore, 
As  the  Lord  liveth,  the  Lord  shall  smite  him;  or  his 
day  shall  come  to  die ;  or  he  shall  descend  into  battle, 
and  perish.  The  Lord  forbid  that  I  should  stretch 
forth  mine  hand  against  the  Lord's  anointed." 

Let  us  briefly  follow  the  narrative  on  each  of  the 
two  occasions. 

First,  when  David  saw  Saul  asleep  at  the  entrance 
of  the  cave  near  Engedi,  he  crept  towards  him  as  he 
lay,  and  removed  a  loose  piece  of  his  garment.  When 
Saul  rose  up  and  proceeded  on  his  way,  David  boldly 
followed  him,  believing  that  after  sparing  the  king's 
life  he  was  safe  from  attack  either  from  him  or  his 
people.  His  respectful  salutation,  drawing  the  king's 
attention,  was  followed  by  an  act  of  profound  obeisance. 
David  then  addressed  Saul  somewhat  elaborately,  his 
address  being  wholly  directed  to  the  point  of  disabusing 
the  king's  mind  of  the  idea  that  he  had  any  plot  what- 
ever against  his  life.  His  words  were  very  respectful 
but  at  the  same  time  bold.  Taking  advantage  of  the 
act  of  forbearance  which  had  just  occurred,  he  de- 
manded of  the  king  why  he  listened  to  men's  words, 
suying^  Behold,  David  seeketh  thy  hurt.  He  protested 
that  for  himself  nothing  would  induce  him  to  stretch 
forth    his    hand    against   the    Lord's  anointed.       That 

VOL.    J.  24 


370  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL, 

very  day,  he  had  had  the  chance,  but  he  had  forborne. 
His  people  had  urged  him,  but  he  would  not  comply. 
There  was  the  skirt  of  his  garment  which  he  had  just 
cut  off:  it  would  have  been  as  easy  for  him,  when  he 
did  that,  to  plunge  his  sword  into  the  heart  of  the  king. 
Could  there  be  a  plainer  proof  that  Saul  was  mistaken 
in  supposing  David  to  be  actuated  by  murderous  or  other 
sinful  feelings  against  him  ?  And  yet  Saul  hunted  for 
his  life  to  take  it.  Rising  still  higher,  David  appealed 
to  the  great  Judge  of  all,  and  placed  the  quarrel  in  His 
hands.  To  vary  the  case,  he  quoted  a  proverb  to  the 
effect  that  only  where  there  Vv^as  wickedness  in  the  heart 
could  wickedness  be  found  in  the  life.  Then,  with 
the  easy  play  of  a  versatile  mind,  he  put  the  case  in 
a  comical  light  :  did  it  become  the  great  king  of  Israel 
to  bring  his  hosts  after  one  so  insignificant — ^^  after  a 
dead  dog,  after  a  flea  "  ?  Was  ocean  to  be  tossed  into 
tem.pest  "  to  waft  a  feather  or  to  drown  a  straw "  ? 
Once  more,  and  to  sum  up  the  whole  case,  he  appealed 
solemnly  to  God,  virtually  invoking  His  blessing  on 
whoever  was  innocent  in  this  quarrel,  and  calling  down 
His  wrath  and  destruction  on  the  party  that  was  really 
guilty. 

The  effect  on  Saul  was  prompt  and  striking.  He 
was  touched  in  his  tenderest  feelings  by  the  singular 
generosity  of  his  opponent.  He  broke  down  thoroughly, 
welcomed  the  dear  voice  of  David,  "  Hfted  up  his  voice 
and  wept."  He  confessed  that  he  was  wrong,  that 
David  had  rewarded  him  good  and  he  had  rewarded 
David  evil.  David  had  given  him  that  day  a  convinc- 
ing proof  of  his  integrity  ;  though  it  seemed  that  the 
Lord  had  delivered  him  into  his  hand,  he  killed  him 
not.  He  had  reversed  the  principle  on  which  men 
were   accustomed    to   act   when    they    came  upon    an 


xxiv.,xxvi.]         DAVID   TWICE  SPARES  SAUL,  37 1 

enemy,  and  had  him  in  their  power.  And  all  these 
acknowledgments  of  David's  superior  goodness  Saul 
made,  while  knowing  well  and  frankly  owning  that 
David  should  be  the  king,  and  that  the  kingdom  should 
be  established  in  his  hand.  One  favour  only  Saul 
would  beg  of  David  in  reference  to  that  coming  time 
— that  he  would  not  massacre  his  family,  or  destroy 
his  name  out  of  his  father's  house — a  request  which 
it  was  easy  for  David  to  comply  with.  Never  would 
he  dream  of  such  a  thing,  however  common  it  was  in 
these  Eastern  kingdoms.  David  sware  to  Saul,  and  the 
two  parted  in  peace. 

How  glad  David  must  have  been  that  he  acted  as 
he  did !  Already  his  forbearance  has  had  a  ful! 
reward.  It  has  drawn  out  the  very  best  elements  of 
Saul's  soul ;  it  has  placed  Saul  in  a  light  in  which  we 
can  think  of  him  with  interest,  and  even  admiration. 
How  can  this  be  the  man  that  so  meanly  plotted  for 
David's  life  when  he  sent  him  against  the  Philistines  ? 
that  gave  him  his  daughter  to  be  his  wife  in  order  that 
he  might  have  more  opportunities  to  entangle  him  ? 
that  flung  the  murderous  javelin  at  his  head  ?  that 
massacred  the  priests  and  destroyed  their  city  simply 
because  they  had  shown  him  kindness  ?  Saul  is  indeed 
a  riddle,  all  the  more  that  this  generous  fit  lasted  but 
a  very  short  time ;  and  soon  after,  when  the  treacherous 
Ziphites  undertook  to  betray  David;  Saul  and  his 
soldiers  came  again  to  the  wilderness  to  destroy 
him. 

It  has  been  thought  by  some,  and  with  reason,  that 
bomething  more  than  the  varying  humour  of  Saul  is 
necessary  to  account  for  his  persistent  efforts  to  kill 
David.  And  it  is  believed  that  a  clue  to  this  is  supplied 
by  expressions  of  which  David  made  much  use,  and  by 


372  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL. 

certain  references  in  the*  Psalms,  which  imply  that  tc 
a  great  extent  he  was  the  victim  of  calumny,  and  of 
calumny  of  a  very  malignant  and  persistent  kind.  In 
the  address  on  which  we  have  commented  David  began 
by  asking  w^hy  Saul  listened  to  men^s  words,  saying, 
Behold,  David  seeketh  thy  life  ?  And  in  the  address 
recorded  in  the  twenty-sixth  chapter  (ver.  19)  David 
says  very  bitterly,  "  If  they  be  the  children  of  men  that 
have  stirred  thee  up  against  me,  cursed  be  they  before 
the  Lord ;  for  they  have  driven  me  out  this  day  from 
abiding  in  the  inheritance  of  the  Lord,  saying,  Go,  serve 
other  gods."  Turning  to  the  seventh  Psalm,  we  find  in 
it  a  vehement  and  passionate  appeal  to  God  in  connec- 
tion with  the  bitter  and  murderous  fury  of  an  enemy, 
who  is  said  in  the  superscription  to  have  been  Gush  the 
Benjamite.  The  fury  of  that  man  against  David  was 
extraordinary.  Deliver  me,  O  Lord,  "lest  he  tear  my 
soul  like  a  lion,  rending  it  in  pieces  w^hen  there  is  none 
to  deliver."  It  is  plain  that  the  form  of  calumny  which 
this  man  indulged  in  was  accusing  David  of  ''  reward- 
ing evil  to  him  that  was  at  peace  with  him,"  an  accusa- 
tion not  only  not  true,  but  outrageously  contrary  to  the 
truth,  seeing  he  had  "  delivered  him  that  without  cause 
was  his  enemy."  It  is  not  unlikely  therefore  that  at 
Saul's  court  David  had  an  enemy  who  had  the  bitterest 
enmity  to  him,  who  never  ceased  to  poison  Saul's 
mind  regarding  him,  who  put  facts  in  the  most  offensive 
light,  and  even  after  the  first  act  of  David's  generosity 
to  Saul  not  only  continued,  but  continued  more  fero- 
ciously than  ever  to  inflame  Saul's  mind,  and  urge  him 
to  get  rid  of  this  intolerable  nuisance.  What  could 
have  inspired  Gush,  or  indeed  any  one,  with  such  a 
hatred  to  David  we  cannot  definitely  say ;  much  of  it 
was  due  to  that  instinctive  hatred  of  holy  character 


<xiv.,xxvi.l  DAVID    TWICE  SPARES  SAUL,  373 

which  worldly  men  of  strong  will  show  in  every  age, 
and  perhaps  not  a  little  to  the  apprehension  that  if 
David  did  ever  come  to  the  throne,  many  a  wicked  man, 
now  fattening  on  the  spoils  of  the  kingdom  through 
the  favour  c  f  Saul,  would  be  stript  of  his  wealth  and 
consigned  to  obscurity. 

It  would  seem,  t  en,  that  had  Saul  been  left  alone  he 
would  have  left  David  alone.  It  was  the  bitter  and  in- 
cessant plotting  of  David's  enemies  that  stirred  him  up. 
Jealousy  was  only  too  active  a  feeling  in  his  breast,  and 
it  was  easy  to  work  upon  it,  and  fill  him  with  the  idea 
that,  after  all,  David  was  a  rebel  and  a  traitor.  These 
things  David  must  have  known;  knowing  them,  he 
made  allowance  for  them,  and  did  not  suffer  his  heart 
to  become  altogether  cold  to  Saul.  The  kindly  feelings 
which  Saul  expressed  when  he  dismissed  from  his  view 
all  the  calumnies  with  which  he  had  been  poisoned,  and 
looked  straight  at  David,  made  a  deep  impression  on 
his  rival,  and  the  fruit  of  them  appeared  in  that  beauti- 
ful elegy  on  Saul  and  Jonathan,  which  must  seem  a 
piece  of  hypocrisy  if  the  facts  we  have  stated  be  not 
kept  in  view :  *'  Saul  and  Jonathan  were  pleasant  and 
lovely  in  their  lives,  and  in  their  death  they  were  not 
divided." 

In  the  second  incident,  recorded  in  the  twenty-sixth 
chapter,  when  David  again  spared  the  life  of  Saul,  not 
much  more  needs  to  be  said.  Some  critics  would  hold 
it  to  be  the  same  incident  recorded  by  another  hand 
in  some  earlier  document  consulted  by  the  writer  of 
I  Samuel,  containing  certain  variations  such  as  might 
take  place  at  the  hand  of  a  different  historian.  But  let 
us  observe  the  differences  of  the  two  chapters,  (i)  The 
scene  is  different ;  in  the  one  case  it  is  near  Engedi,  in 
the  other  in  the  wilderness,  near  the  hill  Hachilah,  which 


374  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL, 

is  before  Jeshimon.  (2)  The  place  where  Saul  was 
asleep  is  different ;  in  the  one  case  a  cave ;  in  the  other 
case  a  camp,  protected  by  a  trench.  (3)  The  trophy 
carried  off  by  David  was  different ;  in  the  one  case  the 
skirt  of  his  garment,  in  the  other  a  spear  and  cruse 
of  water.  (4)  The  position  of  David  when  he  made 
himself  known  was  different ;  in  the  one  case  he  went 
out  of  the  cave  and  called  after  Saul ;  in  the  other  he 
crossed  a  gully  and  spoke  from  the  top  of  a  crag. 
(5)  His  way  of  attracting  attention  was  different;  in 
the  one  case  he  spoke  directly  to  Saul,  in  the  other  he 
rallied  Abner,  captain  of  the  host,  for  failing  to  protect 
the  person  of  the  king.  But  we  need  not  proceed 
further  with  this  list  of  differences.  Those  we  have 
adverted  to  are  enough  to  repel  the  assertion  that  there 
were  not  two  separate  incidents  of  the  same  kind. 
And  surely  if  the  author  was  a  mere  compiler,  using 
different  documents,  he  might  have  known  if  the  inci- 
dents were  the  same.  If  it  be  said  that  we  cannot 
believe  that  two  events  so  similar  could  have  happened, 
that  this  is  too  improbable  to  be  beheved,  we  may 
answer  by  referring  to  similar  cases  in  the  Gospels,  or 
even  in  common  hfe.  Suppose  a  historian  of  the 
American  civil  war  to  describe  what  took  place  at  Bull 
Run.  First  he  gives  an  account  of  a  battle  there 
between  the  northern  and  southern  armies,  some  inci- 
dents of  which  he  describes.  By-and-bye  he  again 
speaks  of  a  battle  there,  but  the  incidents  he  gives  are 
quite  different.  Our  modern  critics  would  say  it  was 
all  one  event,  but  that  the  historian,  having  consulted 
twc  accounts,  had  clumsily  written  as  if  there  had  been 
two  battles.  We  know  that  this  fancy  of  criticism  is 
baseless.  In  the  American  civil  war  there  were  two 
battles   of    Bull    Run    between    the   same   contending 


xxiv.,xxvi.]  DAVID    TWICE  SPARES  SAUL.  375 

parties  at  different  times.  So  we  may  safely  believe 
that  there  were  two  instances  of  David's  forbearance  to 
Saul,  one  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Engedi,  the  other  in 
the  neighbourhood  of  Ziph. 

And  all  that  needs  to  be  said  further  respecting  the 
second  act  of  forbearance  by  David  is  that  it  shines 
forth  all  the  brighter  because  it  was  the  second,  and 
because  it  happened  so  soon  after  the  other.  We  may 
see  that  David  did  not  put  much  trust  in  Saul's  profes- 
sion the  first  time,  for  he  did  not  disband  his  troop,  but 
remained  in  the  wilderness  as  before.  It  is  quite 
possible  that  this  displeased  Saul.  It  is  also  possible 
that  that  inveterate  false  accuser  of  David  from  whom 
he  suffered  so  much  would  make  a  great  deal  of  this 
to  Saul,  and  would  represent  to  him  strongly  that  if 
David  really  was  the  innocent  man  he  claimed  to  be, 
after  receiving  the  assurance  he  got  from  him  he  would 
have  sent  his  followers  to  their  homes,  and  returned  in 
peace  to  his  own.  That  he  did  nothing  of  the  kind 
may  have  exasperated  Saul,  and  induced  him  to  change 
his  policy,  and  again  take  steps  to  secure  David,  as 
before.  Substantially,  David's  remonstrance  with  Saul 
on  this  second  occasion  was  the  same  as  on  the  first. 
But  at  this  tune  he  gave  proof  of  a  power  of  sarcasm 
which  he  had  not  shown  before.  He  rated  Abner  on 
the  looseness  of  the  watch  he  kept  of  his  royal  master, 
and  adjudged  him  worthy  of  death  for  not  making  it 
impossible  for  any  one  to  come  unobserved  so  near  the 
king,  and  have  him  so  completely  in  his  power.  The 
apology  of  Saul  was  substantially  the  same  as  before ; 
but  how  could  it  have  been  different  ?  The  acknow- 
ledgment of  what  was  to  happen  to  David  was  hardly 
so  ample  as  on  the  last  occasion.  David  doubtless 
parted  from  Saul  with  the  old  conviction  that  kindness 


376  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL, 

was  not  wanting  in  his  personal  feelings,  but  that  the 
evil  influences  that  were  around  him,  and  the  fits  of 
disorder  to  which  his  mind  was  subject,  might  change 
his  spirit  in  a  single  hour  from  that  of  generous  bene- 
diction to  that  of  implacable  jealousy. 

But  now  to  draw  to  a  close.     We  have  adverted  to 
that  high  reverence  for  God  which  was  the  means  of 
restraining  David  from  Hfting  up  his  hand  against  Saul, 
because   he   was   the   Lord's    anointed.     Let   us   now 
notice  more  particularly  what  an  admirable  spirit  of 
self-restraint    and    patience    David    showed   in    being 
willing  to  bear  all  the  risk  and  pain  of  a  most  dis- 
tressing position,  until  it  should  please  God  to  bring  to 
him  the  hour  of  deliverance.     The  grace  we  specially 
commend  is  that  of  waiting  for  God's  time.     Alas  !  into 
how   many    sins,  and   even    crimes,    have    men    been 
betrayed  through  unwillingness  to  wait  for  God's  time  ! 
A  young  man  embarks  in  the  pursuits  of  commerce  ; 
but  the  gains  to   be   derived   from   ordinary  business 
come  in  far  too  slowly    for  him ;    he  makes  haste  to 
be  rich,  engages  in  gigantic  speculation,  plunges  into 
frightful  gambling,  and  in  a  few  years  brings  ruin  on 
himself  and  all  connected  with  him.     How  many  sharp 
and    unhandsome    transactions    continually  occur  just 
because  men  are  impatient,  and  wish  to  hurry  on  some 
consummation  which    their   hearts  are  set  on  !     Nay, 
have  not  murders  often  taken  place  just  to  hasten  the 
removal  of  some  who  occupied  places  that  others  were 
eager  to  fill  ?     And  how  often  are  evil  things  done  by 
those  who  will  not  wait  for  the  sanction  of  honourable 
marriage  ? 

But  even  where  no  act  of  crime  has  been  com- 
mitted, impatience  of  God's  time  may  give  rise  to  many 
an  evil   feeling  that  does   not   go  beyond  one's   own 


xxtv.,xxvi.]         DAVID   TIVICE  SPARES  SAUL,  377 


breast.  Many  a  son  who  will  succeed  to  an  inheritance 
on  the  death  of  his  father,  or  of  some  other  relative, 
is  tempted  tc  wish,  more  or  less  consciously,  for  an 
event  the  last  to  be  desired  by  a  filial  heart.  You 
may  say,  it  is  human  nature ;  how  could  any  one  help 
it  ?  The  example  of  David  shows  how  one  may  help 
it.  The  heart  that  is  profoundly  impressed  with  the 
excellence  of  the  Divine  will,  and  the  duty  and  privilege 
of  loyally  accepting  all  His  arrangements,  can  never 
desire  to  anticipate  that  will  in  any  matter,  great  or 
small.  For  how  can  any  good  come  in  the  end  from 
forcing  forward  arrangements  out  of  the  Divine  order  ? 
If,  for  the  moment,  this  brings  any  advantage  in  one 
direction,  it  is  sure  to  be  followed  by  far  greater  evils 
in  another.  Do  we  all  realize  the  full  import  of  our 
prayer  when  we  say,  '^Thy  will  be  done  on  earth  as  it 
is  in  heaven  "  ?  Of  one  thing  you  may  be  very  sure, 
there  is  no  impatience  in  heaven  for  a  speedier  fulfil- 
ment of  desirable  events  than  the  will  of  God  has 
ordained.  There  is  no  desire  to  force  on  the  wheels  of 
Providence  if  they  do  not  seem  to  be  moving  fast 
enough.  So  let  it  be  with  us.  Let  us  fix  it  as  a  first 
principle  in  our  minds,  as  an  immovable  rule  of  our 
lives,  that  as  God  knows  best  how  to  order  His  provi- 
dence, so  any  interference  with  Him  is  rash  and  perilous, 
and  wicked  too ;  and  with  reference  both  to  events 
which  are  not  lawfully  in  our  hands,  and  the  time  at 
which  they  are  to  happen,  let  us  realize  it  as  alike  our 
duty  and  our  interest  to  say  to  God,  in  the  spirit  01 
full  and  unreserved  trust--" Not  our  will,  but  Thine 
be  done.' 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 

DAVID    AND    NABAL. 
I  Samuel  xxv. 

WE  should  be  forming  far  too  low  an  estimate  of 
the  character  of  the  people  of  Israel  if  we  did 
not  believe  that  they  were  very  profoundly  moved  by 
the  death  of  Samuel.  Even  admitting  that  but  a  small 
proportion  of  them  are  likely  to  have  been  in  warm 
sympathy  with  his  ardent  godliness,  he  was  too  remark- 
able a  man,  and  he  had  been  too  conspicuous  a  figure 
in  the  history  of  the  nation,  not  to  be  greatly  missed, 
and  much  spoken  of  and  thought  of,  when  he  passed 
away. 

Cast  in  the  same  mould  with  their  great  leader  and 
legislator  Moses,  he  exerted  an  influence  on  the  nation 
only  second  to  that  which  stood  connected  with  the 
prophet  of  the  Exodus.  He  had  not  been  associated 
with  such  stirring  events  in  their  history  as  Moses ; 
neither  had  it  been  his  function  to  reveal  to  them  the 
will  of  God,  either  so  systematically,  or  so  compre- 
hensively, or  so  supernatu rally ;  but  he  was  marked  by 
the  same  great  spirituality,  the  same  intense  reverence 
for  the  God  of  Israel,  the  same  profound  belief  in  the 
reality  of  the  covenant  betv/een  Israel  and  God,  and 
the  same  conviction  of  the  inseparable  connection  be- 
tween a  pure  worship  and  flowing  prosperity  rn  the 


XXV.]  DAVID  AND  NABAL.  379 

one  hand,  and  idolatrous  defection  and  national  calamity 
on  the  other. 

No  man  except  Moses  had  ever  done  more  to  rivet 
this  truth  on  the  minds  and  hearts  of  the  people.  It 
was  the  lifelong  aim  and  effort  of  Samuel  to  show  that 
it  made  the  greatest  difference  to  them  in  every  way 
how  they  acted  toward  God,  in  the  way  of  worship, 
trust,  and  obedience.  He  made  incessant  war  on  that 
cold  worldly  spirit,  so  natural  to  us  all  that  leaves  God 
out  of  account  as  a  force  in  our  lives,  and  strives  to 
advance  our  interests  simply  by  making  the  most  of  the 
conditions  of  material  prosperity. 

No  doubt  with  many  minds  the  name  of  Samuel 
would  be  associated  with  a  severity  and  a  spirituality 
and  a  want  of  worldliness  that  were  repulsive  to  them, 
as  indicating  one  who  carried  the  matter,  to  use  a 
common  phrase,  too  far.  But  at  Samuel's  death  even 
these  men  might  be  visited  with  a  somewhat  remorse- 
ful conviction  that,  if  Samuel  had  gone  too  far,  they 
had  not  gone  half  far  enough.  There  might  come  from 
the  retrospect  of  his  career  a  wholesome  rebuke  to 
their  worldliness  and  neglect  of  God ;  for  surely,  they 
would  feel,  if  there  be  a  God,  we  ought  to  worship 
Him,  and  it  cannot  be  well  for  us  to  neglect  Him 
altogether. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  career  of  Samuel  would  be 
recalled  with  intense  admiration  and  gratitude  by  all 
the  more  earnest  of  the  people.  What  an  impressive 
witness  for  all  that  was  good  and  holy  had  they  not 
had  among  them  !  What  a  living  temple,  what  a 
Divine  epistle,  written  not  in  tables  of  stone,  but  in 
fleshy  tables  of  the  heart !  What  glory  and  honour 
had  not  that  man's  life  been  to  the  nation, — so  uniform, 
so    consistent,    so  high    in  tone  !     What  a  reproof  it 


38o  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL, 

carried  to  low  and  selfish  living,  what  a  splendid 
example  it  afforded  to  old  and  young  of  the  true  way 
and  end  of  life,  and  what  a  blessed  impulse  it  was 
fitted  to  give  them  in  the  same  direction,  showing  so 
clearly  "  what  is  good,  and  what  doth  the  Lord  require 
of  thee  but  to  do  justly,  and  to  love  mercy,  and  to  walk 
humbly  with  thy  God." 

By  a  remarkable  connection,  though  perhaps  not  by 
design,  two  names  are  brought  together  in  this  chapter 
representing  very  opposite  phases  of  human  character 
— Samuel  and  Nabal.  In  Samuel  we  have  the  high- 
minded  servant  of  God,  trained  from  infancy  to  smother 
his  own  will  and  pay  unbounded  regard  to  the  will  of 
his  Father  in  heaven ;  in  Nabal  we  see  the  votary  of 
the  god  of  this  world,  enslaved  to  his  worldly  lusts, 
grumbling  and  growling  when  he  is  compelled  to  submit 
to  the  will  of  God.  Samuel  is  the  picture  of  the  serene 
and  holy  believer,  enjo3dng  unseen  fellowship  with  God, 
and  finding  in  that  fellowship  a  blessed  balm  for  the 
griefs  and  trials  of  a  wounded  spirit ;  Nabal  is  the 
picture  of  the  rich  but  wretched  worldling  who  cannot 
even  enjoy  the  bounties  of  his  lot,  and  is  thrown  into 
such  a  panic  by  the  mere  dread  of  losing  them  that  he 
actually  sinks  into  the  grave.  Under  the  one  picture 
we  would  place  the  words  of  the  Apostle  in  the  third 
chapter  of  Phihppians — "Whose  god  is  their  belly,  whose 
glory  is  in  their  shame,  who  mind  earthly  things  ; " 
under  the  other  the  immediately  following  words,  "Our 
conversation  is  in  heaven."  Such  were  the  two  men  to 
whom  the  sum^mons  to  appear  before  God  was  sent 
about  the  same  time ;  the  one  ripe  for  glory,  the  other 
meet  for  destruction  ;  the  one  removed  to  Abraham's 
bosom,  the  other  to  the  pit  of  woe  ;  each  to  the  master 
whom  he  served,  and  each  to  the  element  in  which  he 


XXV.]  DAVID  AND  NABAL,  381 


had  lived.  Look  on  this  picture  and  on  that,  and 
say  which  you  would  be  like.  And  as  you  look 
remember  how  true  it  is  that  as  men  sow  so  do  they 
reap.  The  one  sowed  to  the  flesh,  and  of  the  flesh  he 
reaped  corruption  ;  the  other  sowed  to  the  Spirit,  and 
of  the  Spirit  he  reaped  life  everlasting.  The  continuity 
of  men's  lives  in  the  world  to  come  gives  an  awful 
solemnity  to  that  portion  of  their  lives  which  they 
spend  on  earth  : — "  He  that  is  unjust,  let  him  be  unjust 
still :  and  he  that  his  filthy,  let  him  be  filthy  still :  and 
he  that  is  righteous,  let  him  be  righteous  still :  and  he 
that  is  holy,  let  him  be  holy  still." 

There  is  another  lesson  to  be  gathered  from  a  matter 
of  external  order  before  we  proceed  to  the  particulars 
of  the  narrative.  This  chapter,  recording  David's 
coUision  with  Nabal,  and  showing  us  how  David  lost 
his  temper,  and  became  hot  and  impetuous  and  im- 
patient in  consequence  of  Nabal's  treatment,  comes  in 
between  the  narrative  of  his  two  great  victories  over 
the  spirit  of  revenge  and  impatience.  It  gives  us  a 
very  emphatic  lesson — how  the  servant  of  God  may 
conquer  in  a  great  fight  and  yet  be  beaten  in  a  small. 
The  history  of  all  spiritual  warfare  is  full  of  such  cases. 
In  the  presence  of  a  great  enemy,  the  utmost  vigilance 
is  maintained  ;  every  effort  is  strained,  every  stimulus 
is  applied.  In  the  presence  of  a  small  foe,  the  spirit 
of  confidence,  the  sense  of  security,  is  liable  to  leave 
every  avenue  unguarded,  and  to  pave  the  way  for  signal 
defeat.  When  I  am  confronted  with  a  great  trial,  I 
rally  all  my  resources  to  bear  it,  I  realize  the  presence 
of  God,  I  say,  "  Thou  God  seest  me  " ;  but  when  it  is  a 
little  trial,  I  am  apt  to  meet  it  unarmed  and  unguarded, 
and  I  experience  a  humiliating  fall.  Thus  it  is  that 
men  who  have  in  them  the  spirit  of  martyrs,  and  who 


382  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL. 


would  brave  a  dungeon  or  death  itself  rather  than 
renounce  a  testimony  or  falter  in  a  duty,  often  suffer 
defeat  ujider  the  most  ordinary  temptations  of  everyday 
life, — they  lose  their  temper  on  the  most  trifling 
provocations;  almost  without  a  figure,  they  are  ''crushed 
before  the  moth." 

Whether  the  death  of  Samuel  brought  such  a  truce 
to  David  as  to  allow  him  to  join  in  the  great  national 
gathering  at  his  funeral  we  do  not  know  with  certainty  ; 
but  immediately  after  we  find  him  in  a  region  called 
'*  the  wilderness  of  Paran,"  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the 
Judean  Carmel.  It  was  here  that  Nabal  dwelt.  This 
Carmel  is  not  to  be  confounded  with  the  famous 
promontory  of  that  name  in  the  tribe  of  Asher,  where 
Elijah  and  the  priests  of  Baal  afterwards  had  their  cele- 
brated contest ;  it  was  a  hill  in  the  tribe  of  Judah,  in 
the  neighbourhood  of  the  place  where  David  had  his 
encampment.  A  descendant  of  the  lion-hearted  Judah 
and  of  the  courageous  Caleb,  this  Nabal  came  of  a 
noble  stock  ;  but  cursed  with  a  narrow  heart,  a  sense- 
less head,  and  a  grovelling  nature,  he  fell  as  far  below 
average  hum.anity  as  his  great  ancestors  had  risen 
above  it.  With  all  his  v/ealth  and  family  connection, 
he  appears  to  us  now  as  poor  a  creature  as  ever  lived, 
— a  sort  of  "  golden  beast,"  as  was  said  of  the  Emperor 
Caligula ;  and  we  cannot  think  of  him  without  reflect- 
ing how  little  true  glory  or  greatness  mere  wealth  or 
worldly  position  confers, — how  infinitely  more  worthy 
of  honour  are  the  sterling  qualities  of  a  generous 
Christian  heart.  It  is  plain  that  in  an  equitable  point 
of  view  Nabal  owed  much  to  David ;  but  what  he 
owed  could  not  be  enforced  by  an  action  at  law,  and 
Nabal  was  one  of  those  poor  creatures  that  acknowledge 
no  other  obligation. 


'''^^•J  DAVID  AND  NABAL, 


383 


The  studied  courtesy  and  modesty  with  which  David 
preferred  his  claim  is  interesting;  it  could  not  but  be 
against  the  grain   to  say  anything  on  the  subject:  if 
Nabal   had  not  had   his  '^ understanding   blinded"  he 
would  have  spared  him  this  pain;  the  generous  heart 
is  ever  thinking  of  the  services  that  others  are  render- 
ing, and   will  never  subject  modesty  to    the   pain    of 
urging  its  own.     -Ye  shall  greet  him  in  my  name" 
said  David  to  his  messengers;  -and  thus  shall  ye  say 
to  him  that  hveth  in  prosperity,  Peace  be  both  to  thee 
and  peace  to  thy  house,  and  peace  be  to  all  that  thou 
hast."     No  envying  of  his  prosperity— no  grudging  to 
him  his  abundance  ;  but  only  the  Christian  wish  that 
he  might  have  God's  blessing  with  it,  and  that  it  might 
all  turn  to  good.     It  was  the  time  of  sheep-shearing 
when  the  flocks  were  probably  counted  and  the  increase 
over  last  year  ascertained;  and  by  a  fine  old  custom 
It  was  commonly  the  season  of  liberality  and  kindness 
A  time  of  increase  should  always  be  so;  it  is  the  time 
for  helping  poor  relations  (a  duty  often  strangely  over- 
looked),   for    acknowledging   ancient    kindnesses,    for 
relieving  distress,   and  for  devising  liberal  things  for 
the  Church  of  Christ.     David  gently  reminded  Nabal 
that  he  had   come  at  this  good  time;  then  he  hinted 
at  the  services  which  he  and  his  followers  had  done 
him ;  but  to  show  that  he  did  not  wish  to  press  hard 
on  him,  he  merely  asked  him  to  give  what  might  come 
to  his   hand  ;  though,  as  the  anointed  king  of  Israel, 
he  might  have  assumed  a  more  commanding  title    he 
asked  him  to  give  it  to  '^  thy  son,  David."     So  modest, 
gentle,    and    affectionate   an  application,    savouring  so 
little  of  the  persecuted,  distracted    outlaw,    savouring 
so  much  of  the  mild  self-possessed  Christian  gentleman 
—deserved    treatment     very   different    from    what    it 


584  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL. 


received.  The  detestable  niggardliness  of  Nabal's  heart 
would  not  sufTer  him  to  part  with  anything  which  he 
could  find  an  excuse  for  retaining.  But  greed  so 
excessive,  even  in  its  own  e3^es,  must  find  some  cloak 
to  cover  it;  and  one  of  the  most  common  and  most 
congenial  to  flinty  hearts  is — the  unworthiness  of  the 
applicant.  The  miser  is  not  content  in  simply  refusing 
an  application  for  the  poor,  he  must  add  some  abusive 
charge  to  conceal  his  covetousness — they  are  lazy,  im- 
provident, intemperate;  or  if  it  be  a  Christian  object 
he.  is  asked  to  support, — these  unreasonable  people  are 
alvvays  asking.  Any  excuse  rather  than  tell  the  naked 
truth,  '*  We  worship  our  money ;  and  when  we  spend 
it,  we  spend  it  on  ourselves."  Such  was  Nabal. 
"  Who  is  David  ?  and  who  is  the  son  of  Jesse  ?  There 
be  many  servants  now-a-days  that  break  away  every 
man  from  his  master.  Shall  I  then  take  niy  bread,  and 
my  water,  and  my  flesh  that  I  have  killed  for  my 
shearers,  and  give  it  unto  men,  that  I  know  not 
whence  they  be?" 

As  often  happens,  excessive  selfishness  overreached 
itself.  Insult  added  to  injury  was  more  than  David 
chose  to  bear  ;  for  once,  he  lost  self-command,  and  was 
borne  along  by  impetuous  passion.  Meek  men,  when 
once  their  temper  is  roused,  usually  go  to  great 
extremes.  And  if  David's  purpose  had  not  been  provi- 
dentially arrested,  Nabal  and  all  that  belonged  to  him 
would  have  been  swept  before  morning  to  destruction. 

With  the  quickness  and  instinctive  certainty  of  a 
clever  woman's  judgment,  Abigail,  Nabal's  wife,  saw 
at  once  how  things  were  going.  With  more  than  the 
calmness  and  self-possession  of  many  a  clever  woman, 
she  arranged  and  despatched  the  remedy  almost  instan- 
taneously after  the  infliction  of  the  wrong.     How  so 


xxv.J  DAVID  AND  NABAL.  385 


superior  a  woman  could  have  got  yoked  to  so  worthless 
a  man  we  can  scarcely  conjecture,  unless  on  the  vulgar 
and  too  common  supposition  that  the  churl's  wealth 
and  family  had  something  to  do  with  the  match.  No 
doubt  she  had  had  her  punishment.  But  luxury  had 
not  impaired  the  energy  of  her  spirit,  and  wealth  had 
not  destroyed  the  regularity  of  her  habits.  Her  prompt- 
ness and  her  prudence  all  must  admire,  her  commissariat 
skill  was  wonderful  in  its  way ;  and  the  exquisite  tact 
and  cleverness  with  which  she  showed  and  checked 
the  intended  crime  of  David — all  the  while  seeming  to 
pay  him  a  compliment — could  not  have  been  surpassed. 
"  Now  therefore,  my  lord,  as  the  Lord  liveth,  and  as 
thy  soul  liveth,  seeing  the  Lord  hath  withholden  thee 
from  coming  to  shed  blood,  and  from  avenging  thyself 
with  thine  own  hand,  now  let  thine  enemies  and  they 
that  seek  evil  to  my  lord  be  as  Nabal."  But  the  most 
remarkable  of  all  her  qualities  is  her  faith  ;  it  reminds 
us  of  the  faith  of  Rahab  of  Jericho,  or  of  the  faith  of 
Jonathan ;  she  had  the  firm  persuasion  that  David  was 
owned  of  God,  that  he  was  to  be  the  king  of  Israel, 
and  that  all  the  devices  men  might  use  against  him 
would  fail ;  and  she  addressed  him — poor  outlaw  though 
he  was — as  one  of  whose  elevation  to  sovereign  power, 
after  what  God  had  spoken,  there  could  not  be  the 
shadow  of  a  doubt.  Her  liberality,  too,  was  very  great. 
And  there  was  a  truthful,  honest  tone  about  her. 
Perhaps  she  spoke  even  too  plainly  of  her  husband,  but 
the  occasion  admitted  of  no  sort  of  apology  for  him  ; 
there  was  no  deceit  about  her,  and  as  little  flattery. 
Her  words  had  a  wholesome  honest  air,  and  some  ot 
her  expressions  were  singularly  happy.  When  she 
spoke  of  the  soul  of  my  lord  as  "  bound  in  the  bundle 
of  life  with  the  Lord  thy  God,"  she  seemed  to  anticipate 
VOL.  I.  25 


386  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL, 

the  very  language  in  which  the  New  Testament  describes 
the  union  of  Christ  and  His  people,  "  Your  life  is  hid 
with  Christ  in  God."  She  had  a  clear  conception  of  the 
*'  sure  mercies  of  David,"  certainly  in  the  literal,  and 
we  may  hope  also  in  the  spiritual  sense. 

The  revengeful  purpose  and  rash  vow  of  David  were 
not  the  result  of  deliberate  consideration ;  they  were 
formed  under  the  influence  of  excitement, — most  unlike 
the  solemn  and  prayerful  manner  in  which  the  expedi- 
tion at  Keilah  had  been  undertaken.  God  unacknow- 
ledged had  left  David  to  misdirected  paths.  But  if  we 
blame  David,  as  we  must,  for  his  heedless  passion,  we 
must  not  less  admire  the  readiness  with  which  he 
listens  to  the  reasonable  and  pious  counsel  of  Abigail. 
With  the  ready  instinct  of  a  gracious  heart  he  recog- 
nises the  hand  of  God  in  Abigail's  coming, — this  mercy 
had  a  heavenly  origin ;  and  cordially  praises  Him  for 
His  restraining  providence  and  restraining  grace. 
He  candidly  admits  that  he  had  formed  a  very  sinful 
purpose;  but  he  frankly  abandons  it,  accepts  her 
offering,  and  sends  her  away  in  peace.  "  Blessed  be 
the  Lord  God  of  Israel,  which  sent  thee  this  day  t(» 
me;  and  blessed  be  thy  advice,  and  blessed  be  thou 
which  hast  kept  me  this  day  from  coming  to  shed  blood, 
and  from  avenging  myself  with  mine  own  hand."  It 
is  a  mark  of  sincere  and  genuine  godliness  to  be  not 
less  thankful  for  being  kept  from  sinning  than  from 
being  rescued  from  suffering. 

And  it  was  not  long  before  David  had  convincmg 
proof  that  it  is  best  to  leave  vengeance  in  the  hands  of 
God.  "  It  came  to  pass,  about  ten  days  after,  that  the 
Lord  smote  Nabal  that  he  died."  Having  abandoned 
himself  at  his  feast  to  the  beastliest  sensuality,  his 
nervous  system  underwent  a  depression  corresponding 


XXV.]  DAVID  AND  NABAL.  387 

to  the  excitement  that  had  accompanied  the  debauch. 
In  this  miserable  state  of  collapse  and  weakness,  the 
news  of  what  had  happened  gave  him  a  fright  from 
which  he  never  recovered.  A  few  days  of  misery,  and 
this  wretched  man  went  to  his  own  place,  there  to 
join  the  great  crowd  of  selfish  and  godless  men  who 
said  to  God,  '*  Depart  from  us,"  and  to  whom  God 
will  but  echo  their  own  wish — "  Depart  from  Me !  " 

When  David  heard  of  his  death,  his  satisfaction  at 
the  manifest  interposition  of  God  on  his  behalf,  and  his 
thankfulness  for  having  been  enabled  to  conquer  his 
impetuosity,  overcame  for  the  time  every  other  con- 
sideration. Full  of  this  view,  he  blessed  God  for 
Nabal's  death,  rejoicing  over  his  untimely  end  more 
perhaps  than  was  altogether  becoming.  We,  at  least, 
should  have  liked  to  see  David  dropping  a  tear  over 
the  grave  of  one  who  had  lived  without  grace  and 
who  died  without  comfort.  Perhaps,  however,  we  are 
unable  to  sympathize  with  the  earnestness  of  the  feel- 
ing produced  by  God's  visible  vindication  of  him ;  a 
feeling  that  would  be  all  the  more  fervent,  because 
what  had  happened  to  Nabal  must  have  been  viewed  as 
a  type  of  what  was  sure  to  happen  to  Saul.  In  the 
death  of  Nabal,  David  by  faith  saw  the  destruction  of 
all  his  enemies — no  wonder  though  his  spirit  was  lifted 
up  at  the  sight. 

If  it  were  not  for  a  single  expression,  we  should, 
without  hesitation,  set  down  the  thirty-seventh  Psalm 
as  written  at  this  period.  The  twenty-fifth  verse  seems 
to  connect  it  with  a  later  period ;  even  then  it  seems 
quite  certain  that,  when  David  wrote  it,  the  case  of 
Nabal  (among  other  cases  perhaps)  was  full  in  his 
view.  The  great  fact  in  providence  on  which  the 
psalm  turns  is  the  sure  and  speedy  destruction  of  the 


388  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL. 

wicked ;  and  the  great  lesson  of  the  psalm  to  God's 
servants  is  not  to  fret  because  of  their  prosperity,  but 
to  rest  patiently  on  the  Lord,  who  will  cause  the  meek 
to  inherit  the  earth.  Many  of  the  minor  expressions 
and  remarks,  too,  are  quite  in  harmony  with  this 
occasion :  "  Trust  in  the  Lord  and  do  good,  so  shalt 
thou  dwell  in  the  land,  and  verily  thou  shalt  be  fed^ 
''Cease  from  anger ^  and  forsake  wrath;  fret  not 
thyself  in  any  wise  to  do  evil."  "The  meek  shall 
inherit  the  earth."  "The  mouth  of  the  righteous 
speaketh  wisdom^* — unlike  Nabal,  a  fool  by  name  and 
a  fool  by  nature.  The  great  duty  enforced  is  that  of 
waiting  on  the  Lord  ;  not  merely  because  it  is  right  in 
itself  to  do  so,  but  because  "  He  shall  bring  forth  thy 
righteousness  as  the  light  and  thy  judgment  as  the 
noonday." 

The  chapter  ends  with  Abigail's  marriage  to  David. 
We  are  told,  at  the  same  time,  that  he  had  another 
wife,  Ahinoam  the  Jezreelite,  and  that  Michal,  Saul's 
daughter,  had  been  taken  from  him,  and  given  to 
another.  These  statements  cannot  but  grate  upon  our 
ear,  indicating  a  laxity  in  matrimonial  relations  very 
far  removed  from  our  modern  standard  alike  of  duty 
and  of  delicacy.  We  cannot  acquit  David  of  a  want 
of  patience  and  self-restraint  in  these  matters;  un- 
doubtedly it  is  a  blot  in  his  character,  and  it  is  a  blot 
that  led  to  very  serious  results.  It  w^as  an  element  of 
coarseness  in  a  nature  that  in  most  things  was  highly 
refined.  David  missed  the  true  ideal  of  family  life,  the 
true  ideal  of  love,  the  true  ideal  of  purity.  His  poly- 
gamy was  not  indeed  imputed  to  him  as  a  crime  ;  it 
was  tolerated  in  him,  as  it  had  been  tolerated  in  Jacob 
and  in  others ;  but  its  natural  and  indeed  almost 
necessary  effects  were  not  obviated.     In  his  family  it 


xxv.J  DAVID  AND  NABAL,  389 

bred  strife,  animosity,  division ;  it  bred  fearful  crimes 
among  brotliers  and  sisters  ;  while,  in  his  own  case,  his 
unsubdued  animalism  stained  his  conscience  with  the 
deepest  sins,  and  rent  his  heart  wich  terrible  sorrows. 
How  dangerous  is  even  one  vulnerable  spot — one  un- 
subdued lust  of  evil !  The  fable  represented  that  the 
heel  of  Achilles,  the  only  vulnerable  part  of  his  body, 
because  his  mother  held  him  by  it  when  she  dipped  him 
in  the  Styx,  was  the  spot  on  which  he  received  his 
fatal  wound.  It  was  through  an  unmortified  lust  of 
the  flesh  that  nearly  all  David's  sorrows  came.  How 
emphatic  in  this  view  the  prayer  of  the  Apostle — "  I 
pray  God  that  your  whole  spirit  and  soul  and  body 
be  preserved  blameless  unto  the  coming  of  the  Lord." 
And  how  necessary  and  appropriate  the  exhortation, 
"  Put  on  the  whole  armour  of  God " — girdle,  breast- 
plate, sandals,  helmet,  sword — all ;  leave  no  part  un- 
protected, '^  that  ye  may  be  able  to  withstand  in  the 
evil  day,  and  having  done  all  to  stand." 

Thus,  then,  it  appears,  that  for  all  that  was  beautiful 
in  David  he  was  not  a  perfect  character,  and  not  with- 
out stains  that  seriously  affected  the  integrity  and 
consistency  of  his  Hfe.  In  that  most  important  part  of 
a  young  man's  duty — to  obtain  full  command  of  him- 
self, yield  to  no  unlawful  bodily  indulgence,  and  do 
nothing  that,  directly  or  indirectly,  can  tend  to  lower 
the  character  or  impair  the  delicacy  of  women, — David, 
instead  of  an  example,  is  a  beacon.  Greatly  though  his 
early  trials  were  blessed  in  most  things,  they  were  not 
blessed  in  all  things.  We  must  not,  for  this  reason, 
turn  from  him  as  some  do,  with  scorn.  We  are  to 
admire  and  imitate  the  qualities  that  were  so  fine, 
especially  in  early  life.  Would  that  many  of  us  were 
like   him   in    his   tenderness^    hi§    godliness,    and    his 


390  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL, 

attachment  to  his  people  !  His  name  is  one  of  the 
embalmed  names  of  Holy  Writ, — all  the  more  that 
when  he  did  become  conscious  of  his  sin,  no  man 
ever  repented  more  bitterly  ;  and  no  man's  spirit,  when 
bruised  and  broken,  ever  sent  more  of  the  fragrance 
as  "of  mynh  and  aloes  and  cassia  out  of  the  ivory 
palaces." 


CHAPTER  XXXIIL 

DAVID'S  SECOND  FLIGHT  TO    GATIT. 
I  Samuel  xxvii.  ;  xxviii.  i,  2  j  xxix. 

WE  are  not  prepared  for  the  sad  decline  in  the 
spirit  of  trust  which  is  recorded  in  the  begin- 
ning of  the  twenty-seventh  chapter.  The  victory  gained 
by  David  over  the  carnal  spirit  of  revenge,  shown  so 
signally  in  his  sparing  the  life  of  Saul  a  second  time, 
would  have  led  us  to  expect  that  he  would  never  again 
fall  under  the  influence  of  carnal  fear.  But  there  are 
strange  ebbs  and  flows  in  the  spiritual  life,  and  some- 
times a  victory  brings  its  dangers,  as  well  as  its  glory. 
Perhaps  this  very  conquest  excited  in  David  the  spirit 
of  self-confidence ;  he  may  have  had  less  sense  of  his 
need  of  daily  strength  from  above ;  and  he  may  have 
fallen  into  the  state  of  mind  against  which  the  Apostle 
warns  us,  ''Let  him  that  thinketh  he  standeth  take 
heed  lest  he  fall." 

In  his  collision  with  Nabal  we  saw  him  fail  in  what 
seemed  one  of  his  strong  points — the  very  spirit  of 
self-control  which  he  had  exercised  so  remarkably 
toward  Saul;  and  now  we  see  him  fail  in  another 
of  his  strong  points — the  spirit  of  trust  toward  God. 
Could  anything  show  more  clearly  that  even  the  most 
eminent  graces  of  the  saints  spring  from  no  native 
fountain  of  goodness  within  them,  but  depend  on  the 
continuance   of   their   vital    fellowship    with    Him   of 


392  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL. 

whom  the  Psalmist  said,  *' All  my  springs  are  in  Thee"? 
(Psalm  Ixxxvii.  7).  Carelessness  and  prayerlessness 
interrupt  that  fellowship ;  the  supply  of  daily  strength 
ceases  to  come  ;  temptation  arises,  and  they  become 
weak  like  other  men.  ''Abide  in  Me,"  said  our  Lord, 
with  special  emphasis  on  the  need  of  permanence  in  the 
relation ;  and  the  prophet  says,  ''  They  that  wait  on 
the  Lord,"  as  a  habitual  exercise,  ''shall  renew  their 
strength ;  they  shall  mount  up  with  wings  as  eagles  ; 
they  shall  run  and  not  be  weary,  and  they  shall  walk 
-  nd  not  faint." 

The  most  strange  thing  about  David's  new  decline 
i\,  that  it  led  him  to  try  a  device  which  he  had  tried 
Tefore,  and  which  had  proved  a  great  failure.  We  see 
}iim  retreating  before  an  enemy  he  had  often  conquered ; 
retreating,  too,  by  a  path  every  foot  of  which  he  had 
traversed,  and  wdth  whose  bitter  ending  he  was  already 
familiar.  Just  as  before,  his  declension  begins  with 
distrust ;  and  just  as  before,  dissimulation  is  the  pro- 
duct of  the  distrustful  spirit.  He  is  brought  into  the 
most  painful  dilemma,  and  into  experience  of  the  most 
grievous  disaster ;  but  God,  in  His  infinite  mercy,  ex- 
tricates him  from  the  one  and  enables  him  to  retrieve 
the  other.  It  is  affliction  that  brings  him  to  his  senses 
and  drives  him  to  God  ;  it  is  the  returning  spirit  of 
prayer  and  trust  that  sustains  him  in  his  difficulties, 
and  at  last  brings  to  him,  from  the  hand  of  God,  a 
merciful  deliverance  from  them  all. 

Our  first  point  of  interest  is  the  growth  and  mani- 
festation of  the  spirit  of  distrust.  "  David  said  in  his 
heart,  I  shall  now  perish  one  day  by  the  hand  of  Saul ; 
there  is  nothing  better  for  me  than  that  I  should 
speedily  escape  into  the  land  of  the  Philistines."  We 
find  it  difficult  to  account   for  the  sudden  triumph  of 


xxvii. ;  xxviii.  I,  2 ;  xxix.]    DA  VID'S  SECOND  FLIGHT.  393 


this  very  despondent  feeling.  It  is  hardly  enough  to 
say  that  David  could  have  had  no  confidence  in  Saul's 
expressions  of  regret  and  declared  purposes  of  amend- 
ment. That  was  no  new  feature  of  the  case.  Perhaps 
one  element  of  the  explanation  may  be,  that  Saul,  with 
his  three  thousand  men,  had  not  only  become  familiar 
with  all  David's  hiding-places,  but  had  stationed  troops 
in  various  parts  of  the  district  that  would  so  hamper 
his  movements  as  to  hem  him  in  as  in  a  prison.  Then 
also  there  may  have  been  some  new  outbreak  of  the 
malignant  fury  of  Cush  the  Benjamite,  and  other  enemies 
who  were  about  Saul,  rousing  the  king  to  even  more 
earnest  efforts  than  ever  to  apprehend  him.  There  is 
yet  another  circumstance  in  David's  situation,  that  has 
not,  we  think,  obtained  the  notice  it  deserves,  but  which 
may  have  had  a  very  material  influence  on  his  decision. 
David  had  now  two  wives  with  him,  Abigail  the  widow 
of  Nabal,  and  Ahinoam  the  Jezreelitess.  He  would 
naturally  be  desirous  to  provide  them  with  the  comforts 
of  a  settled  home.  A  band  of  young  men  might  put  up 
with  the  risks  and  discomforts  of  a  roaming  life,  which 
it  would  not  be  possible  for  women  to  bear.  The 
rougher  sex  might  think  nothing  of  midnight  removals, 
and  attacks  in  the  dark,  and  scampers  over  wild  passes 
and  rugged  mountains  at  all  hours  of  the  day  and  night, 
and  snatches  of  food  at  irregular  times,  and  all  the 
other  experiences  which  David  and  his  men  had  borne 
patiently  and  cheerfully  in  the  earher  stages  of  their 
outlaw  history.  But  for  women  this  was  unsuitable. 
It  is  true  that  this  alone  would  not  have  led  David  to 
say,  "I  shall  one  day  perish  by  the  hand  of  Saul." 
But  it  would  increase  his  sense  of  difficulty  ;  it  would 
make  him  feel  more  keenly  the  embarrassments  of  his 
situation ;  it  would  help  to  overwhelm  him.     And  when 


394  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL. 


he  was  thus  at  his  wit's  end,  the  sense  of  danger  from 
Saul  would  become  more  and  more  serious.  The  ten- 
sion of  a  mind  tlms  pressed  on  every  side  is  something 
terrible.  Pressed  and  tortured  by  invincible  difficulties, 
David  gives  way  to  despair — "  I  shall  one  day  perish 
by  the  hand  of  Saul." 

Let  us  observe  the  manner  in  which  this  feeling 
grew  to  such  strength  as  to  give  rise  to  a  new  line  of 
conduct.  It  got  entrance  into  his  heart.  It  hovered 
about  him  in  a  somewhat  loose  form,  before  he  took 
hold  of  it,  and  resolved  to  act  upon  it.  It  approached 
him  in  the  same  manner  in  which  temptation  approaches 
many  a  one,  first  presenting  itself  to  the  imagination 
and  the  feelings,  trying  to  get  hold  of  them,  and  then 
getting  possession  of  the  will,  and  turning  the  w^hole 
man  in  the  desired  direction.  Like  a  skilful  adversary 
who  first  attacks  an  outpost,  apparently  of  little  value, 
but  when  he  has  got  it  erects  on  it  a  battery  by  which 
he  is  able  to  conquer  a  nearer  position,  and  thus  gradu- 
ally approaches,  till  at  last  the  very  citadel  is  in  his 
hands, — so  sin  at  first  hovers  about  the  outposts  of 
the  soul.  Often  it  seems  at  first  just  to  play  with  the 
imagination ;  one  fancies  this  thing  and  the  other,  this 
sensual  indulgence  or  that  act  of  dishonesty  ;  and  then, 
having  become  familiar  with  it  there,  one  admits  it  to 
the  inner  chambers  of  the  soul,  and  ere  long  the  lust 
bringeth  forth  sin.  The  lesson  not  to  let  sin  play  even 
with  the  imagination,  but  drive  it  thence  the  moment 
one  becomes  conscious  of  its  presence,  cannot  be 
pressed  too  strongly.  Have  you  ever  studied  the 
language  of  the  Lord's  Prayer  ? — "  Lead  us  not  into 
temptation."  You  are  being  led  into  temptation  when- 
ever you  are  led  to  think,  wath  interest  and  half  long- 
ing, of  any  sinful  indulgence.    Wisdom  demands  of  you 


xxvii. ;  xxviii.  I,  2;  xxix.]     DA  VIITS  SECOND  FLIGHT,  395 


that  the  moment  you  are  conscious  of  such  a  feeling 
you  resolutely  exclaim,  "  Get  thee  behind  me,  Satan  1 " 
It  is  the  tempter  trying  to  establish  a  foothold  in  the 
outworks,  meaning,  when  he  has  done  so,  to  advance 
nearer  and  nearer  to  the  citadel,  till  at  last  you  shall 
find  him  in  strong  possession,  and  your  soul  entangled 
in  the  meshes  of  perdition. 

The  conclusion    to   which    David    came,  under   the 
influence  of  distrust,  as  to  the  best  course  for  him  to 
follow  shows  what  opposite  decisions  may  be  arrived 
at,  according  to  the  point  of  view  at  which  men  take 
their  stand.     "There  is  nothing  better  for  me  than  that 
I  should  escape  speedily  into  the  land  of  the  Philis- 
tines."    From  a  more  correct  point  of  view,  nothing 
could   have  been  worse.      Had  Moses  thought  of  his 
prospects  from  the  same  position,  he  would  have  said, 
"There  is  nothing  better  for  me  than  to  remain  the  son 
of  Pharaoh's  daughter,  and  enjoy  all  the  good  things 
to  which  Providence  has  so  remarkably  called  me  ; "  but 
standing  on  the  ground  of  faith,   his  conclusion  was 
precisely  the  opposite.     Looking  abroad  over  the  world 
with  the  eye  of  sense,  the  young  man  may  say,  "There- 
is  nothing  better  for  me  than  that  I  should  rejoice  h 
my  youth,  and  that  my  heart  should  cheer  me  in  th( 
days  of  my  youth,  and  that  I  should  walk  in  the  ways  of 
mine  heart  and  in  the  sight  of  mine  eyes."    But  the  eye 
of  faith  sees  ominous  clouds  and  gathering  storms  in  the 
distance,  which  show  that  there  could  be  nothing  worse. 
As   usual,    David's   error   was   connected   with   the 
omission  of  prayer.     We  find  no  clause  in  this  chapter, 
"Bring   hither   the  ephod."     He  asked  no  counsel  of 
God;    he  did   not  even  sit  down  to  deliberate  calmly 
on   the    matter.      The   impulse   to   which   he   yielded 
required  him  to  decide  at  once.     The  word  "  speedily  " 


396  THE  FIR  ST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL, 

indicates  the  presence  of  panic,  the  action  of  a  tumul- 
tuous force  on  his  mind,  inducing  him  to  act  as 
promptly  as  one  does  in  raising  one's  arm  to  ward  off 
a  threatened  blow.  Possibly  he  had  the  feeling  that, 
if  God's  mind  were  consulted,  it  would  be  contrary  to 
his  desire,  and  on  that  ground,  like  too  many  persons, 
he  may  have  shrunk  from  honest  prayer.  How 
different  from  the  spirit  of  the  psalm — ''Show  me  Thy 
ways,  O  Lord,  teach  me  Thy  paths ;  lead  me  in  Thy 
truth  and  teach  me,  for  Thou  art  the  God  of  my 
salvation ;  on  Thee  do  I  wait  all  the  day."  Dost  thou 
imagine,  David,  that  the  Lord's  arm  is  shortened  that 
it  cannot  save,  and  His  ear  heavy  that  it  cannot  hear  ? 
Would  not  He  who  delivered  you  in  six  troubles  cause 
that  in  seven  no  evil  should  touch  thee  ?  Has  He  not 
promised  that  thou  shalt  be  hid  fi^om  the  scourge  of  the 
tongue,  neither  shalt  thou  be  afraid  of  destruction  when 
it  Cometh  ?  Dost  thou  not  know  that  thy  seed  shall  be 
great  and  thine  offspring  as  the  grass  of  the  earth  ? 
Thou  shalt  come  to  thy  grave  in  a  full  age,  like  as  a 
shock  of  corn  cometh  in  in  his  season. 

So  ''  David  arose,  and  he  passed  over  with  the  six 
hundred  men  that  were  with  him,  unto  Achish  the  son 
of  Maoch,  king  of  Gath."  It  is  thought  by  some  that 
this  was  a  different  king  from  the  former,  the  name 
Achish  like  the  name  Pharaoh  being  used  by  all  the 
kings.  At  first  the  arrangement  seemed  to  succeed. 
Achish  appears  to  have  received  him  kindly.  *'  David 
dwelt  with  Achish  at  Gath,  he  and  his  men,  every  man 
with  his  household,  even  David  with  his  two  wives." 
The  emphasis  laid  on  the  household  and  the  wives 
shows  how  difficult  it  had  been  to  provide  for  them 
before.  And  Saul,  at  last,  gave  up  the  chase,  and 
sought  for  him  no  more.     Of  course,  in  giving  him  a 


xxvii. ;  xxviii.  I,  2;  xxix.]     DA  VWS  SECOND  FLIGHT.  397 

friendly  reception,  Achish  must  have  had  a  view  to  his 
own  interest.  He  would  calculate  on  making  use  of 
him  in  his  battles  with  Saul,  and  very  probably  give 
an  incredulous  smile  if  he  heard  anything  of  the 
scruples  he  had  shown  to  lift  up  his  hand  against 
the  Lord's  anointed. 

Availing  himself  of  the  favourable  impression  made 
on  Achish,  David  now  begs  to  have  a  country  town 
allotted  to  him  as  his  residence,  so  as  to  avoid  what 
appeared  the  unseemliness  of  his  dwelling  in  the  royal 
city  with  him.  There  was  much  common  sense  in  the 
demand,  and  Achish  could  not  but  feel  it.  Gath  was  but 
a  little  place,  and  Achish,  if  he  was  but  lord  of  Gath, 
was  not  a  very  powerful  king.  The  presence  in  such 
a  place  of  a  foreign  prince,  with  a  retinue  of  soldiers 
six  hundred  strong,  w^as  hardly  becoming.  Possibly 
Achish's  own  body  guard  did  not  come  up  in  number 
and  in  prowess  to  the  troop  of  David.  The  request  for 
a  separate  residence  was  therefore  granted  readily,  and 
Ziklag  was  assigned  to  David.  It  lay  near  the  southern 
border  of  the  Philistines,  close  to  the  southern  desert. 
At  Ziklag  he  was  away  from  the  eye  of  the  lords  of 
the  Philistines  that  had  always  viewed  him  with  such 
jealousy ;  he  w^as  far  away  from  the  still  greater  jealousy 
of  Saul ;  and  with  Geshurites,  and  Gezrites,  and  Amale- 
kites  in  his  neighbourhood,  the  natural  enemies  of  his 
country,  he  had  opportunities  of  using  his  troop  so  as 
at  once  to  improve  their  discipline  and  promote  the 
welfare  of  his  native  land. 

There  was  another  favourable  occurrence  in  David's 
experience  at  this  time.  From  a  parallel  passage 
(l  Chron.  xii.)  we  learn  that  during  his  residence 
among  the  Philistines  he  w^as  constantly  receiving 
important  accessions  to  his  troop.     One   set  of  men 


398  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL, 

who  came  to  him,  Benjamites,  of  the  tribe  of  Saul,  were 
remarkably  skilful  in  the  use  of  the  bow  and  the  sling, 
able  to  use  either  right  hand  or  left  with  equal  ease. 
The  men  that  came  to  him  were  not  from  one  tribe 
only,  but  from  many.  A  very  important  section  were 
from  Benjamin  and  Judah.  At  first  David  seemed  to 
have  some  suspicion  of  their  sincerity.  Going  out  to 
meet  them  he  said  to  them,  ''  If  ye  be  come  peaceably  to 
me  to  help  me,  my  heart  shall  be  knit  unto  you  ;  but  if 
ye  be  come  to  betray  me  to  my  enemies,  seeing  there  is 
no  wrong  in  my  hands,  the  God  of  our  fathers  look 
thereon  and  rebuke  it."  The  answer  was  given  by 
Amasai,  in  the  spirit  and  rhythmical  language  of 
prophecy  :  "  Thine  are  we,  David,  and  on  thy  side, 
thou  son  of  Jesse  ;  peace,  peace  be  unto  thee,  and 
peace  be  to  thine  helpers ;  for  thy  God  helpeth  thee." 
Thus  he  was  continually  receiving  evidence  of  the 
favour  in  which  he  was  held  by  his  people,  and  his 
band  was  continually  increasing,  ''  until  it  was  a  great 
host,  like  the  host  of  God."  It  seemed,  up  to  this 
point,  as  if  Providence  had  favoured  his  removal  to  the 
land  of  the  Philistines,  and  brought  to  him  the  security 
and  the  prosperity  which  he  could  not  find  in  the  land 
of  Judah.  But  it  was  ill-gained  security  and  only 
mock-prosperity  ;  the  day  of  his  troubles  drew  on. 

The  use  which,  as  we  have  seen,  he  made  of  his 
troop  was  to  invade  the  Geshurites,  the  Gezrites,  and 
the  Amalekites.  In  taking  this  step  David  had  a 
sinister  pui  pose.  It  would  not  have  been  so  agreeable 
to  the  Philistines  to  learn  that  the  arms  of  David  had 
been  turned  against  these  tribes  as  against  his  own 
countrymen.  When  therefore  he  was  asked  by  Achish 
where  he  had  gone  that  day,  he  returned  an  answer 
fitted,  and  indeed  intended,  to  deceive.    Without  saying 


xxviL;  xxviii.  i,  2;  xxix.]     DA  VID'S  SECOND  FLIGHT.  399 

in  words,  ''  I  have  been  fighting  against  my  own  people 
in  the  south  of  Judah,"  he  led  Achish  to  believe  that  he 
had,  and  he  was  pleased  when  his  words  were  taken 
in  that  sense.  Achish,  we  are  told,  believed  David,  be- 
lieved that  he  had  been  in  arms  against  his  countrymen. 
"  He  hath  made  his  people  Israel  utterly  to  abhor  him ; 
therefore  he  shall  be  my  servant  for  ever."  Could 
there  have  been  a  more  lamentable  spectacle  ?  one  of 
the  noblest  of  men  stained  by  the  meanness  of  a  false 
insinuation ;  David,  the  anointed  of  the  God  of  Israel, 
ranged  with  the  common  herd  of  liars ! 

Nor  was  this  the  only  error  into  which  his  crooked 
policy  now  led  him.  To  cover  his  deceitful  course  he 
had  recourse  to  an  act  of  terrible  carnage.  It  was 
deemed  by  him  important  that  no  one  should  be  able 
to  carry  to  Achish  a  faithful  report  of  what  he  had 
been  doing.  To  prevent  this  he  made  a  complete 
massacre,  put  to  death  every  man,  woman,  child  of  the 
Amalekites  and  other  tribes  whom  he  now  attacked. 
Such  massacres  were  indeed  quite  common  in  Eastern 
warfare.  The  Bulgarian  and  other  massacres  of  which 
we  have  heard  in  our  own  day  show  that  even  yet, 
after  an  interval  of  nearly  three  thousand  years,  they 
are  not  foreign  to  the  practice  of  Eastern  nations.  In 
point  of  fact,  they  were  not  thouglu  more  of,  or  worse 
of,  than  any  of  the  other  incidents  of  war.  War  was 
held  to  bind  up  into  one  bundle  the  whole  lives  and 
property  of  the  enemy,  and  give  to  the  conqueror 
supreme  control  over  it.  To  destroy  the  whole  was 
just  the  same  in  principle  as  to  destroy  a  part.  If  the 
destruction  of  the  whole  was  necessary  in  order  to  carry 
out  the  objects  of  the  campaign,  it  was  not  more  wicked 
to  perpetrate  such  destruction  than  to  destroy  a  part. 

True,  according  to  our  modern  view,  there  is  some- 


400  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL. 


thing  mean  in  falling  on  helpless,  defenceless  women 
and  children,  and  slaughtering  them  in  cold  blood. 
And  yet  our  modern  ideas  allow  the  bombardment  or 
the  besieging  of  great  cities,  and  the  bringing  of  the 
more  slow  but  terrible  process  of  starvation  to  bear 
against  women  and  children  and  all,  in  order  to  compel 
a  surrender.  Much  though  modern  civiHsation  has 
done  to  lessen  the  horrors  of  war,  if  we  approve  of  all 
its  methods  we  cannot  afford  to  hold  up  our  hands  in 
horror  at  those  which  were  judged  allowable  in  the 
days  of  David.  Yet  surel}^,  you  may  say,  we  might 
have  expected  better  things  of  David.  We  might  have 
expected  him  to  break  away  from  the  common  senti- 
ment, and  to  show  more  humanity.  But  this  would 
not  have  been  reasonable.  For  it  is  very  seldom  that 
the  individual  conscience,  even  in  the  case  of  the  best 
men,  becomes  sensible  at  once  of  the  vices  of  its  age. 
How  many  good  men  in  this  country,  in  the  early  part 
of  this  century,  were  zealous  defenders  of  slavery,  and 
in  America  down  to  a  much  later  time !  There  is 
nothing  more  needful  for  us  in  studying  history,  even 
Old  Testament  history,  than  to  remember  that  very 
remarkable  individual  excellence  may  be  found  in  con- 
nection with  a  great  amount  of  the  vices  of  the  age. 
We  canaot  attempt  to  show  that  David  was  not  guilty 
of  a  horrible  carnage  in  his  treatment  of  the  Amalekites. 
All  we  can  say  is,  he  shared  in  the  belief  of  the  time 
that  such  carnage  was  a  lawful  incident  of  war.  We 
cannot  but  feel  that  in  the  whole  circumistances  it  left 
a  stain  upon  his  character ;  and  yet  he  may  have  en- 
gaged in  it  without  any  consciousness  of  barbarity, 
without  any  idea  that  the  day  would  come  when  his 
friends  would  blush  for  the  deed. 

The  Philistines  were  now  preparing  a  new  campaign 


xxvu. ;  xxviii.  i,  2 ;  xxix.]    DA  VID'S  SECOND  FLIGHT.  401 

under  Achish  against  Saul  and  his  kingdom,  and  Achish 
determined  that  David  should  go  with  him  ;  further, 
that  he  should  go  in  the  capacity  of  "keeper  of  his 
head,"  or  captain  of  his  body  guard,  and  that  this 
should  not  be  a  temporary  arrangement,  but  per- 
manent— ''  for  ever."  It  is  difficult  for  us  to  conceive 
the  depth  of  the  embarrassment  into  which  this  intima- 
tion must  have  plunged  David.  We  must  bear  in 
mind  how  scrupulous  and  sensitive  his  conscience  was 
as  to  raising  his  hand  against  the  Lord's  anointed  ;  and 
we  must  take  into  account  the  horror  he  must  have 
felt  at  the  thought  of  rushing  in  deadly  array  against 
his  own  dear  countrymen,  with  most  of  whom  he  had 
had  no  quarrel,  and  who  had  never  done  him  any 
harm.  When  Achish  made  him  head  of  his  body 
guard  he  paid  a  great  compliment  to  his  fidelity  and 
bravery-;  but  in  proportion  as  the  post  was  honourable 
it  was  disagreeable  and  embarrassing.  For  David  and 
his  men  would  have  to  fight  close  to  Achish,  under 
his  very  eye  ;  and  any  symptoms  of  holding  back  from 
the  fray — any  inclination  to  be  off,  or  to  spare  the  foe, 
which  natural  feeling  might  have  dictated  in  the  hour 
of  battle,  must  be  resisted  in  presence  of  the  king. 
Perhaps  David  reckoned  that  if  the  Israelites  were 
defeated  by  the  Philistines  he  might  be  able  to  make 
better  terms  for  them — might  even  be  of  use  to  Saul 
himself,  and  thus  render  such  services  as  would  atone 
for  his  hostile  attitude.  But  this  was  a  wretched  con- 
solation. David  was  entangled  so  that  he  could 
neither  advance  nor  retreat.  Before  him  was  God, 
closing  His  path  in  front ;  behind  him  was  man,  closing 
it  in  rear;  and  we  may  well  believe  he  would  have 
willingly  given  all  he  possessed  if  only  his  feet  could 
have  been  clear  and  his  conscience  upright  as  before. 

VOL.   I.  26 


402  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL, 

Still,  he  does  not  appear  to  have  returned  to  a 
candid  frame  of  mind,  but  rather  to  have  continued  the 
dissimulation.  He  had  gone  with  Achish  as  far  as  the 
battle-field,  when  it  pleased  God,  in  great  mercy,  to 
extricate  him  from  his  difficulty  by  using  the  jealousy 
of  the  lords  of  the  Philistines  as  the  means  of  his 
dismissal  from  the  active  service  of  King  Achish.  But 
instead  of  gladly  retiring  when  he  received  intimation 
that  his  services  were  dispensed  with,  we  find  him 
(chap.  xxix.  8)  remonstrating  with  Achish,  speaking  as 
if  it  were  a  disappointment  not  to  be  allowed  to  go 
with  him,  and  as  if  he  thirsted  for  an  opportunity  of 
chastising  his  countrymen.  It  is  sad  to  find  him 
continuing  in  this  strain.  We  are  told  that  the  time 
during  which  he  abode  in  the  country  of  the  Philistines 
was  a  full  year  and  four  months.  It  was  to  all 
appearance  a  time  of  spiritual  declension ;  and  as 
distrust  ruled  his  heart,  so  dissimulation  ruled  his 
conduct.  It  could  hardly  have  been  other  than  a  time 
of  merely  formal  prayers  and  comfortless  spiritual 
experience.  If  he  would  but  have  allowed  himself  to 
believe  it,  he  was  far  happier  in  the  cave  of  Adullam  or 
the  wilderness  of  Engedi,  when  the  candle  ot  the  Lord 
shone  upon  his  head,  than  he  was  afterwards  amid 
the  splendour  of  the  palace  of  Achish,  or  the  princely 
independence  of  Ziklag. 

The  only  bright  spot  in  this  transaction  was  the 
very  cordial  testimony  borne  by  Achish  to  the  faultless 
way  in  which  David  had  uniformly  served  him.  It  is 
seldom  indeed  that  such  language  as  Achish  employed 
can  be  used  of  any  servant — ^'  I  know  that  thou  art 
good  in  my  sight,  as  an  angel  of  God."  Achish  must 
have  been  struck  with  the  utter  absence  of  treachery 
and   of  all  self-seeking  in  David.     David  had  shown 


xxvii. ;  xxviii.  I,  2 ;  xxix.]    DA  VID'S  ^ECOAD  FLIGHT. 


403 


that  singular,  unblemished  trustwcrtliiness  that  earned 
such  golden  opinions  for  Joseph  in  the  l.ouse  of 
Potiphar  and  from  the  keeper  of  the  prison.  In  this 
respect  he  had  Icept  his  light  shining  before  men  with 
a  clear,  unclouded  lustre.  Even  amid  his  spiritual 
backsliding  and  sad  distrust  of  God,  he  had  never 
stained  his  hands  with  greed  or  theft,  he  had  in  all 
these  respects  kept  himself  unspotted  of  the  world. 

The  chapter  of  David's  history  which  we  have  now 
been  pursuing  is  a  very  painful  one,  but  the  circum- 
stances in  which  he  was  placed  were  extremely  difficult 
and  trying.     It  is  impossible  to  justify  the  course  he 
took.     By-and-bye   we   shall   see   how  God  chastised 
him    for   it,   and    by  chastising   him    brought    him    to 
Himself.     But  to  those  who  are  disposed  to  be  very 
severe  on  him  we  might  well  say,  He  that  is  without 
sm  among  you,  let  him  first  cast  a  stone  at  him.     Who 
among  you    have    not    been    induced    at  times  to  try 
carnal  and  unworthy  expedients  for  extricating  your- 
selves from  difficulty  ?     Who,  in  days  of  boyhood  or 
girihood,  never  told  a  falsehood  to  cover  a  fault  ?     Who 
of  you  have  been  uniformly  accustomed  to  carry  to  God 
every  difficulty  and  trial,  with  the  honest,  immovable 
determination  to  do  simply  and  solely  what  might  seem 
to  be  agreeable  to  God's  will  ?     Have  we  not  all  cause 
to  mourn  over  conduct  that  has  dishonoured  God  and 
distressed  our  consciences  ?     May  He  give  all  of  us  light 
to  see  wherein  we  have  come  short   in  the  past,   or 
wherein   we  are  coming   short   in    the  present.     And 
from    the  bottom  of  our  hearts  may  we  be  taught  to 
raise  our  prayer,  From  all    the   craft  and    cunning  of 
Satan ;  from  all  the  devices  of  the  carnal  mind ;  from 
all  that  blinds  us  to  the  pure  and  perfect  will  of  God- 
good  Lord,  deliver  us. 


CHAPTER  XXXIV. 

SAUL  AT  ENDOR. 
I  Samuel  xxviii.  3-25. 

FOR  a  considerable  time  Saul  had  been  drifting 
along  like  a  crippled  vessel  at  sea,  a  melancholy 
example  of  a  man  forsaken  of  God.  But  as  his  decisive 
encounter  with  the  Philistiiies  drew  on,  the  state  of 
helplessness  to  which  he  had  been  reduced  became 
more  apparent  than  ever.  He  had  sagacity  enough  to 
perceive  that  the  expedition  which  the  Philistines  were 
now  leading  against  him  was  the  most  formidable  that 
had  ever  taken  place  in  his  day.  It  was  no  ordinary 
battle  that  was  to  be  fought ;  it  was  one  that  would 
decide  the  fate  of  the  country.  The  magnitude  of  the 
expedition  on  his  part  is  apparent  from  an  expression 
in  the  fourth  verse — ''  Saul  gathered  all  Israel  together." 
The  place  of  encounter  was  not  any  of  the  old  battle- 
fields with  the  Philistines.  Usually  the  engagements 
had  taken  place  in  some  of  the  valleys  that  ran  down 
from  the  territories  of  Dan,  or  Benjamin,  or  Judah  into 
the  Philistine  plain,  or  on  the  heights  above  these. 
But  such  places  were  comparatively  contracted,  and 
did  not  afford  scope  for  great  bodies  of  troops.  This 
time  the  Philistines  chose  a  wider  and  more  com- 
manding battle-field.  Advancing  northwards  along  their 
own  maritime  plain,  and  beyond  it  along  the  plain  of 
Sharon,  they  turned  eastwards  into  the  great  plain  of 


xxuii.  3-25-]  SAUL  AT  ENDOR.  40S 


Esdraelon  or  Jezreel,  and  occupied  the  northern  side  of 
the  plain.  The  troops  of  Saul  were  encamped  on  the 
southern  side,  occupying  the  northern  slope  of  Mount 
Gilboa.  There  the  two  armies  faced  each  other,  the 
wide  plain  stretching  between. 

It  was  a  painful  moment  for  Saul  when  he  got  his 
first  view  of  the  Philistine  host,  for  the  sight  of  it 
filled  him  with  consternation.  It  would  appear  to  have 
surpassed  that  of  Israel  very  greatly  in  numbers,  in 
resources,  as  it  certainly  did  in  its  confident  spirit. 
Yet,  if  Saul  had  been  a  man  of  faith,  none  of  these 
things  would  have  moved  him.  Was  it  not  in  that 
very  neighbourhood  that  Barak,  with  his  hasty  levies, 
had  inflicted  a  signal  defeat  on  the  Canaanites  ?  And 
was  it  not  in  that  very  plain  that  the  hosts  of  Midian 
lay  encamped  in  the  days  of  Gideon,  when  the  barley 
cake  rolling  into  their  camp  overturned  and  terrified 
the  host,  and  a  complete  discomfiture  followed  ?  Why 
should  not  the  Lord  work  as  great  a  deliverance  now  ? 
If  God  was  with  them.  He  was  more  than  all  that  could 
be  against  them.  Might  not  this  be  another  of  the 
days  foretold  by  Moses,  when  one  should  chase  a 
thousand,  and  two  put  ten  thousand  to  flight  ? 

Yes,  //God  was  with  them.  All  turned  upon  that  if. 
And  Saul  felt  that  God  was  not  with  them,  and  that 
they  could  not  count  on  any  such  deliverance  as,  in 
better  times,  had  been  vouchsafed  to  their  fathers. 

And  why,  O  Saul,  when  you  felt  thus,  did  you  not 
humble  yourself  before  God,  confess  all  your  sins,  and 
implore  Him  to  show  you  mercy  ?  Why  did  you  not 
cry,  "  Return,  O  Lord,  how  long  ?  And  let  it  repent 
Thee  concerning  Thy  servants  "  ?  Would  you  have 
found  God  inexorable  ?  Would  His  ear  have  been 
heavy  that  it   could  not  hear  ?     Don't  you  remember 


4o6  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL. 

how  Moses  said  that  when  Israel,  in  sore  bondage, 
should  cry  humbly  to  God,  the  Lord  would  hear  his 
cry,  and  have  mercy  on  him  ?  Why,  O  Saul,  do  you 
not  fall  in  the  dust  before  Him  ? 

Somehow  Saul  felt  that  he  could  not.  Among  other 
effects  of  sin  and  rebellion,  one  of  the  worst  is  a 
stiffening  of  the  soul,  making  it  hard  and  rigid,  so  that 
it  cannot  bend,  it  cannot  melt,  it  cannot  change  its 
course.  The  long  career  of  wilfulness  that  Saul  had 
followed  had  produced  in  him  this  stiffening  effect; 
his  spirit  was  hardened  in  its  own  ways,  and  incapable 
of  all  exercise  of  contrition  or  humiliation,  or  anything 
essentially  different  from  the  course  he  had  been 
following.  There  are  times  in  the  life  of  a  deeply 
afflicted  woman  when  the  best  thing  she  could  do 
would  be  to  weep,  but  that  is  just  the  thing  she  cannot 
do.  There  are  times  when  the  best  thing  an  inveterate 
sinner  could  do  would  be  to  fling  himself  before  God 
and  sob  for  mercy,  but  fling  himself  before  God  and 
sob  he  cannot.  Saul  was  incapable  of  that  exercise  of 
soul  which  would  have  saved  him  and  his  people. 
Most  terrible  effect  of  cherished  sin  !  It  dries  up  the 
fountains  of  contrition  and  they  will  not  flow.  It 
stiffens  the  knees  and  they  will  not  bend.  It  paralyses 
the  voice  and  it  will  not  cry.  It  blinds  the  eyes  and 
they  see  not  the  Saviour.  It  closes  the  ears  and  the 
voice  of  mercy  is  unheard.  It  drives  the  distressed  one 
to  wells  without  water,  to  refuges  of  lies,  to  trees  twice 
dead,  to  physicians  who  have  no  medicines,  to  gods  who 
have  no  salvation ;  all  he  feels  is  that  his  case  is  despe- 
rate, and  yet  somewhere  or  other  he  must  have  help! 

Saul  did  not  neglect  the  outward  means  by  which  in 
other  days  God  had  been  accustomed  to  direct  the 
nation.     He  tried  every  authorized  way  he  could  think 


Kxviii.  3-25-]  SAUL  AT  ENDOR.  407 

of  for  getting  guidance  from  above.  He  believed  in  a 
heavenly  power,  and  he  asked  its  guidance  and  its  help 
But  God  took  no  notice  of  him.  He  answered  him 
neither  by  dreams,  nor  by  Urim,  nor  by  prophets.  Men, 
though  in  heart  rebellious  against  God's  will,  will  go 
through  a  great  deal  of  mechanical  service  in  the  hope 
of  securing  His  favour.  It  is  not  their  muscles  that 
get  stiffened,  but  their  souls.  What  a  strange  concep- 
tion they  must  have  of  God  when  they  fancy  that 
mere  external  services  will  please  Him  !  How  little 
Saul  knew  of  God  when  he  supposed  that,  overlooking 
all  the  rebellion  of  his  heart,  God  would  respond  to  a 
mechanical  effort  or  efforts  to  communicate  with  Him  ! 
Don't  you  know,  O  Saul,  that  your  iniquities  have 
separated  between  you  and  your  God,  and  your  sins 
have  hid  His  face  from  you  that  He  will  not  hear  ? 
Nothing  will  have  the  least  effect  on  Him  till  you  own 
your  sin.  ^^  I  will  go  and  return  unto  My  place,  until 
they  acknowledge  their  offence  and  seek  My  face." 
And  this  is  just  what  you  will  not,  cannot  do  I 
How  infinitely  precious  would  one  tear  of  genuine 
repentance  have  been  in  that  dark  hour !  It  would 
have  saved  thousands  of  the  Israelites  from  a  bloody 
death ;  it  would  have  saved  the  nation  from  defeat  and 
humiliation ;  it  would  have  removed  the  obstacle  to 
fellowship  with  the  Hope  of  Israel,  who  would  have 
stood  true  to  His  ancient  character, — **  the  Saviour 
thereof  in  time  of  trouble." 

But  Saul's  day  of  grace  was  over,  and  accordingly 
we  find  him  driven  to  the  most  humbling  expedient  to 
which  a  man  can  stoop — seeking  counsel  from  a  quarter 
against  which,  in  his  more  prosperous  days,  he  had 
directed  his  special  energies,  as  a  superstitious,  demoral- 
izing agency.     He  had  been  most  zealous  in  extermin- 


4o8  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL, 

ating  a  class  of  persons,  abounding  in  Eastern  countries, 
who  pretend  to  know  the  secrets  of  the  future,  and  to 
have  access  to  the  inhabitants  of  the  unseen  world. 
Little  could  he  have  dreamt  in  those  days  of  fiery  zeal 
that  a  time  would  come  when  he  would  rejoice  to  learn 
that  one  poor  wretch  had  escaped  the  vigilance  of  his 
officers,  and  still  carried  on,  or  pretended  to  carry  on, 
a  nefarious  traffic  with  the  realms  of  the  departed  !  It 
shows  how  little  man  is  acquainted  with  the  inner 
feelings  of  other  men — how  little  he  knows  even  himself. 
Doubtless  he  thought,  in  the  days  of  exterminating  zeal, 
that  it  was  sheer  folly  and  drivelling  superstition  that 
encouraged  these  sorcerers,  and  that  by  clearing  them 
away  he  would  be  ridding  the  land  of  a  mass  of  rubbish 
that  could  be  of  service  to  no  one.  He  did  not  consider 
that  there  are  times  of  wretchedness  and  despair  when 
the  soul  that  knows  not  God  will  seek  counsel  even  of 
men  with  a  familiar  spirit — he  little  dreamt  that  such 
would  be  the  case  with  himself.  "Is  thy  servant  a  dog 
that  he  should  do  this  thing  ?  "  he  would  have  asked 
with  great  indignation  in  those  early  days,  if  it  had 
been  insinuated  that  he  would  ever  be  tempted  to 
resort  to  such  counsellors.  "  What  better  could  I 
ever  be  of  anything  they  could  tell  me  ?  Surely  it 
would  be  wiser  to  meet  an}^  conceivable  danger  full  in 
the  face  than  to  seek  after  such  counsel  as  they  could 
give  !  "  He  did  not  consider  that  when  man's  spirit  is 
overwhelmed  within  him,  and  his  craving  for  help  is 
like  the  passion  of  a  madman,  he  will  clutch  Hke  a 
drowning  man  at  a  straw,  he  will  even  resort  to  a 
woman  with  a  familiar  spirit,  if,  peradventure,  some 
hint  can  be  got  to  extricate  him  from  his  misery. 

But   to    this    complexion   it    came    at    last.       With 
dreadful  sacrifice  of  self-respect,  Saul  had  to  ask  hifl 


3-^S]  SAUL  AT  ENDOR, 


409 


advisers  to  seek  out  for  him  a  woman  of  this  description. 
They  were  able  to  tell  him  of  such  a  woman  residing 
at  Endor,  about  ten  miles  from  where  they  were.  With 
two  attendants  he  set  out  after  nightfall,  disguised,  and 
found  her.  Naturally,  she  was  afraid  to  do  anything 
in  the  way  of  business  in  the  face  of  such  measures 
as  the  king  had  taken  against  all  of  her  craft,  nor  would 
she  stir  until  she  had  got  a  solemn  promise  that  she 
would  not  be  molested  in  any  way.  Then,  w^hen  all 
was  ready,  she  asked  whom  she  should  call  up.  *'  Call 
up  Samuel,"  said  Saul.  To  the  great  astonishment  of 
the  woman  herself,  she  sees  Samuel  rising  up.  A 
shriek  from  her  indicates  that  she  is  as  much  astonished 
and  for  the  moment  frightened  as  anyone  can  be. 
Evidently  she  did  not  expect  such  an  apparition.  The 
effect  was  much  too  great  for  the  cause.  She  sees 
that  in  this  apparition  a  power  is  concerned  much 
beyond  what  she  can  wield.  Instinctively  she  appre- 
hends that  the  only  man  of  importance  enough  to  receive 
such  a  supernatural  visit  must  be  the  head  of  the  nation. 
"  Why  did  you  deceive  me  ?  "  she  said,  ''  for  thou  art 
Saul."  "Nevermind  that,"  is  virtually  Saul's  reply; 
"  but  tell  me  what  you  have  seen."  The  Revised 
Version  gives  her  answer  better  than  the  older  one^"  I 
saw  a  god  arise  out  of  the  earth."  "What  is  his 
appearance  ? "  earnestly  asks  Saul.  "  He  is  an  old 
man,  and  he  is  covered  with  a  mantle."  And  Saul 
sees  that  it  is  really  Samuel. 

But  what  w^as  it  that  really  happened,  and  how  did 
it  come  about  ?  That  the  woman  was  able,  even  if  she 
really  had  the  aid  of  evil  spirits,  to  bring  Samuel  into 
Saul's  presence  v^re  cannot  believe.  Nor  could  she 
believe  it  herself.  If  Samuel  really  appeared — and  the 
narrative  assumes  that  he  did — it  must  have  been  by 


4IO  THE  FIRST  BOCK  OF  SAMUEL. 

a  direct  miracle,  God  supernaturally  clothing  his  spirit 
in  something  like  its  old  form,  and  bringing  him  back 
to  earth  to  speak  to  Saul.  In  judgment  it  seemed  good 
to  God  to  let  Saul  have  his  desire,  and  to  give  him 
a  real  interview  with  Samuel.  *'  He  gave  him  his 
request,  but  sent  leanness  to  his  soul."  So  far  from 
having  his  fears  allayed  and  his  burden  removed,  Saul 
was  made  to  see  from  Samuel's  communication  that 
there  was  nothing  but  ruin  before  him ;  and  he  must 
have  gone  back  to  the  painful  duty  of  the  morrow 
staggering  under  a  load  heavier  than  before. 

Samuel  begins  the  conversation  ;  and  he  does  so  by 
reproaching  Saul  for  having  disquieted  him,  and  brought 
him  back  from  his  peaceful  home  above  to  mingle  again 
in  the  strife  and  turmoil  of  human  things.  Nothing 
can  exceed  the  haggard  and  weird  desolation  of  Saul's 
answer.  *'  I  am  sore  distressed  ;  for  the  Philistinea 
make  war  against  me,  and  God  is  departed  from  me 
and  answereth  me  no  more,  neither  by  prophets  noi 
by  dreams :  therefore  I  have  called  thee,  that  thou 
mayest  m.ake  known  unto  me  what  I  shall  do."  Was 
ever  a  king  in  such  a  plight?  Who  would  have  thought, 
when  Samuel  and  Saul  first  came  together,  and  Saul 
listened  so  respectfully  to  the  prophet  counselling  hin. 
concerning  the  kingdom,  that  their  last  meeting  should 
be  like  this  ?  In  all  Saul's  statement  there  is  no  word 
that  carries  such  a  load  of  meaning  and  of  despair  as 
this — "  God  is  departed  from  me."  It  is  the  token  of 
universal  confusion  and  calamity.  And  Saul  felt  it,  and 
as  no  one  understood  these  things  like  Samuel,  he  had 
sought  Samuel  to  counsel  his  wayward  son,  to  tell  him 
what  to  do. 

It  is  not  every  sinner  that  makes  the  discovery  in 
this  life  what  awful  results  follow  when  God  is  departed 


jLvviii.  3-25.]  SAUL  AT  ENDOR.  ^^l 


from  him.  But  if  the  discovery  does  not  dawn  on  one 
in  this  Hfe,  it  will  come  on  him  with  overwhelming 
force  in  the  life  to  come.  Men  little  think  what  they 
are  preparing  for  themselves  when  they  say  to  God, 
"Depart  from  us,  for  we  desire  not  the  knowledge 
of  Thy  ways."  The  service  of  God  is  irksome  ;  the 
restraints  of  God's  law  are  distressing ;  they  Hke  a 
free  life,  freedom  to  please  themselves.  And  so  they 
part  company  with  God.  The  form  of  Divine  service 
may  be  kept  up  or  it  may  not :  but  God  is  not  their 
God,  and  God's  will  is  not  their  rule.  They  have  left 
God's  w^ays,  they  have  followed  their  own.  And  when 
conscience  has  sometimes  given  them  a  twinge,  when 
God  has  reminded  them  by  the  silent  monitor  of  His 
claims,  their  answer  has  been,  Let  us  alone,  what 
have  we  to  do  with  Thee  ?  Depart  from  us,  leave  us 
in  peace.  Ah !  how  little  have  you  considered  that  the 
most  awful  thing  that  could  happen  to  you  is  just  for 
God  to  depart  from  you !  If  we  could  conceive  the 
earth  a  sensitive  being,  and  somehow  to  get  a  dislike 
for  the  sun,  and  to  pray  the  sun  to  depart  from  ner, 
how  awful  would  be  the  fulfilment !  Losing  all  the 
genial  influences  that  brighten  her  surface,  that  cover 
her  face  with  beauty  and  enrich  her  soil  with  abundance, 
all  the  foul  and  slimy  creatures  of  darkness  would  creep 
out,  all  the  noxious  influences  of  dissolution  and  death 
would  riot  in  their  terrible  freedom  !  And  is  not  this 
but  a  poor  faint  picture  of  man  forsaken  by  God  !  O 
sinner,  if  ever  thy  wish  should  be  fulfilled,  how  wilt 
thou  curse  the  day  in  which  thou  didst  utter  it !  When 
vile  lusts  rise  to  uncontrollable  authority— when  those 
whom  you  love  turn  hopelessly  wicked,  when  you  find 
yourselves  joyless,  helpless,  hopeless,  when  you  try 
to  repent  and  cannot  repent,  when  you  try  to  pray  and 


412  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL. 


cannot  pray,  when  you  try  to  be  pure  and  cannot  be 
pure — what  a  terrible  calamity  you  will  then  feel  it 
that  God  is  departed  from  you  !  Trifle  not,  O  man, 
with  thy  relation  to  God  ;  and  let  not  thy  history  be 
such  that  it  shall  have  to  be  written  in  the  words  of 
the  prophet — "  But  they  rebelled  and  vexed  His  Holy 
Spirit ;  therefore  He  was  turned  to  be  their  enemy  and 
He  fought  against  them"  (Isaiah  Ixiii.  lo). 

There  was  no  comfort  for  Saul  in  Samuel's  reply, 
but  much  the  contrary.  Why  should  he  have  asked 
advice  of  the  Lord's  servant,  when  he  owned  that  he 
was  forsaken  by  the  Lord  Himself?  What  could  the 
servant  do  for  him  if  the  Master  was  become  his 
enemy  ?  What  can  a  priest  or  a  minister  do  for  any 
man  if  God  has  turned  His  face  away  from  him  ?  Can 
he  make  God  deny  Himself,  and  become  favourable  to 
one  who  has  scorned  or  sinned  away  His  Holy  Spirit  ? 
Saul  was  experiencing  no  more  than  he  had  just  reason 
to  expect  since  that  fatal  day  when  he  had  first  deliber- 
atel}^  set  up  his  own  will  above  God's  will  in  the  affair 
of  Amalek.  In  the  course  which  he  began  then,  he 
had  persistently  continued,  and  God  was  now  just 
executing  the  threatenings  which  Saul  had  braved. 
And  next  day  would  witness  the  last  of  his  sad  history. 
The  Lord  Vv^ould  deliver  Israel  into  the  hands  of  the 
PniUstines  ;  in  the  collision  of  the  armies  he  and  his 
sons  would  be  slain ;  disaster  to  his  arms,  death  to 
himself,  and  destruction  to  his  dynasty  would  all  come 
together  on  that  miserable  day. 

It  is  no  wonder  that  Saul  was  utterly  prostrated  :  "  He 
fell  straightway  all  along  on  the  earth,  and  was  sore 
afraid,  because  of  the  words  of  Samuel ;  and  there  was 
no  strength  in  him  ;  for  he  had  eaten  no  bread  all  the 
day,  nor  all  the  night."     He  could  not  have  expected 


xxviii.  3-25-]  SAUL  AT'ENDOR.  413 

that  the  interview  with  Samuel  would  be  a  pleasant 
one,  but  he  never  imagined  that  it  would  announce 
such  awful  calamities.  Have  you  not  known  some- 
times the  terrible  sensation  when  you  had  heard  there 
was  something  wrong  with  some  of  your  friends,  and 
on  going  to  inquire,  discovered  that  the  calamity  was 
infinitely  worse  tl.an  you  had  ever  dreamt  of?  A 
momentary  paralysis  comes  over  one ;  you  are  stunned 
and  made  helpless  by  the  tidings.  We  may  even  be 
tempted  to  think  that  surely  Samuel  was  too  hard  on 
Saul ;  might  he  not  have  tempered  his  awful  message 
by  some  qualifying  word  of  hope  and  mercy  ?  The 
answer  is,  Samuel  spoke  the  truth,  the  whole  truth, 
and  nothing  but  the  truth.  We  are  all  prone  to  the 
thought  that  when  evil  men  get  their  doom  there  will 
surely  be  something  to  modify  or  mitigate  its  rigour. 
Samuel's  words  to  Saul  indicate  no  such  relaxation. 
Moral  law  will  vindicate  itself  as  natural  law  vindicates 
itself — "  Whatsoever  a  man  soweth,  that  shall  he  also 
reap." 

The  last  incident  in  the  chapter  is  interesting  and 
pleasing.  We  might  have  thought  that  such  a  calling 
as  that  followed  by  the  witch  of  Endor  would  have 
destroyed  all  the  humanities  in  her  nature;  that  she 
would  have  looked  on  the  king's  distress  with  a  cold, 
stoical  eye,  and  that  her  only  concern  would  be  to 
obtain  for  herself  a  fee  adapted  to  the  occasion.  But 
she  shows  much  of  the  woman  left  in  her  after  all. 
When  she  rehearses  her  service,  and  the  peril  of  her 
life  at  which  it  has  been  rendered,  to  prepare  the  way 
for  her  asking  a  favour,  the  favour  which  she  does  ask  is 
not  for  herself  at  all, — it  is  on  Saul's  own  behalf,  that 
she  might  be  permitted  the  honour  of  preparing  for 
him  a  meal.     Saul's  mind  is  too  much  occupied  ^rid  too 


414  THE  I^IRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL, 

much  agitated  to  care  for  anything  of  the  kind.  Still 
prostrate  on  the  ground  he  says,  "  I  will  not  eat." 
Men  overwhelmed  by  calamity  hate  to  eat,  they  are 
too  excited  to  experience  hunger.  It  was  only  when 
his  servants,  thinking  how  much  he  had  gone  through 
already,  how^  much  more  he  had  to  go  through  on  the 
morrow,  and  how  utterly  unfit  his  exhausted  body  was 
for  the  strain — it  was  then  only  that  he  yielded  to  the 
request  of  the  woman.  And  the  woman  showed  that, 
for  all  her  sinister  business,  she  was  equal  to  the 
occasion  of  entertaining  a  king.  The  **  fat  calf  in  the 
house  "  corresponded  to  the  *'  fatted  calf"  in  the  parable 
of  the  prodigal  son.  It  was  not  the  custom  even  in 
families  of  the  richer  class  to  eat  meat  at  ordinary 
meals;  it  was  reserved  for  feasts  and  extraordinary 
occasions ;  and  in  order  to  be  ready  for  any  emergency 
a  calf  was  kept  close  to  the  house,  whose  flesh,  from 
the  delicate  way  in  which  it  was  reared  and  fed,  was 
tender  enough  to  be  served  even  at  so  hasty  a  meal. 
With  cakes  of  unleavened  bread,  this  dish  could  be 
presented  very  rapidly,  and,  unlike  the  hasty  meals 
which  are  common  among  us,  was  really  a  more  sub- 
stantial and  nourishing  entertainment  than  ordinary. 
It  is  touching  to  mark  these  traces  of  womanly  feeling 
in  this  unhappy  being,  reminding  us  of  the  redeeming 
features  of  Rahab  the  harlot.  What  effect  the  whole 
transaction  had  on  the  woman  we  are  not  told,  and  it 
would  be  vain  to  conjecture. 

And  now  Saul  retraces  his  dark  and  dreary  way 
southward  to  the  heights  of  Gilboa,  We  can  hardly 
exaggerate  his  miserable  condition.  He  had  much  to 
think  of,  and  he  would  have  needed  a  clear,  unclouded 
mind.  We  can  think  of  him  only  as  miserably  dis- 
tracted, and  unable  to  let  his  mind  settle  on  anything. 


xxviii.  3-25-]  SAUL  AT  ENDOR.  415 

It  would  have  needed  his  utmost  resources  to  arrange 
for  the  battle  of  to-morrow,  a  battle  in  which  he  knew 
that  defeat  was  coming,  but  which  he  might  endeavour, 
nevertheless,  to  make  as  little  disastrous  as  possible. 
Moreover,  he  knew  it  was  to  be  the  last  day  of  his 
life,  and  troubled  thoughts  could  not  but  steal  in  on 
him  as  to  what  should  happen  when  he  stood  before 
God.  No  doubt,  too,  there  were  many  sad  thoughts 
about  his  sons,  who  were  to  be  involved  in  the  same 
fate  as  himself.  Was  there  no  way  of  saving  any  of 
then-  ?  The  arrangement  of  his  temporal  effects,  too, 
would  claim  attention,  for,  restless  and  excitable  as  he 
had  been,  it  was  not  likely  that  his  private  affairs  would 
be  in  very  good  order.  Anon  his  thoughts  might  wander 
back  to  his  first  interview  with  Samuel,  and  bitter  re- 
morse would  send  its  pang  through  him  as  he  thought 
how  differently  he  might  have  left  the  kingdom  if  he 
had  faithfully  followed  the  counsels  of  the  prophet. 
Possibly  amid  all  these  gloomy  thoughts  one  thought 
of  a  brighter  order  might  steal  into  his  mind — how 
thoroughly  David,  who  would  come  to  the  throne  after 
him,  would  retrieve  his  errors  and  restore  prosperity, 
and  make  the  kingdom  what  it  had  never  been  under 
him,  a  model  kingdom,  worthy  to  shadow  forth  the 
glories  of  Messiah's  coming  reign.  Poor  distracted 
man,  he  was  little  fitted  either  to  fight  a  battle  with  the 
Philistines  or  to  encounter  the  last  enemy  on  his  own 
account.  What  a  lesson  to  be  prepared  beforehand  ! 
On  a  deathbed,  especially  a  sudden  one,  distractions  can 
hardly  fail  to  visit  us — this  thing  and  the  ether  thing 
needing  to  be  arranged  and  thought  of.  Happy  they 
who  at  such  a  moment  can  say,  "  I  am  now  ready  to 
depart."  "  Into  Thy  hands  I  commend  my  spirit,  for 
Thou  hast  redeemed  me,  O  Lord  God  of  truth." 


CHAPTER  XXXV. 

DAVID  AT  ZIKLAG, 

I  Samuel  xxx. 

A  FTER  David  had  received  from  King  Achish  the 
-/~\  appointment  of  captain  of  his  body  guard,  he 
had  with  his  troops  accompanied  the  Phihstine  army, 
passing  along  the  maritime  plain  to  the  very  end  of 
their  journey — to  the  spot  selected  for  battle,  close  to 
"  the  fountain  which  is  in  Jezreel."  It  seems  to  have 
been  only  after  the  whole  Philistine  host  were  ranged 
in  battle  array  that  the  presence  of  David  and  his  men, 
who  remained  in  the  rear  to  protect  the  king,  arrested 
the  attention  of  the  lords  of  the  Philistines,  and  on  their 
remonstrance  they  were  sent  away.  It  is  probable  that 
David's  return  to  Ziklag,  and  the  expedition  in  which 
he  had  to  engage  to  recover  his  wives  and  his  property, 
took  place  at  or  about  the  very  time  when  Saul  made 
his  journey  to  Endor,  and  when  the  fatal  battle  of 
Gilboa  was  raging.  We  have  seen  that  though  David 
never,  like  Saul,  threw  off  the  authority  of  God,  he  had 
been  following  ways  of  his  own,  ways  of  deceit  and 
unfaithfulness.  He  too  had  been  exposing  himself  to 
the  displeasure  of  God,  and  on  him,  as  on  Saul,  some 
retribution  behoved  to  fall.  But  in  the  two  cases  we 
see  the  difference  between  judgment  and  chastisement. 
In  the  case  of  Saul  it  was  judgment  that  came  down  ; 
his  life  and   his  career  were  terminated   avowedly  ag 


XXX.]  DAVID  AT  ZIKLAG,  417 


t^e  punis'.ment  of  his  offence.  In  the  case  of  David 
the  rod  was  lifted  to  correct,  not  to  destroy ;  to  bring 
him  back,  not  to  drive  him  for  ever  away  ;  to  fit  him 
for  service,  not  to  cut  him  asunder,  or  appoint  him 
his  portion  with  the  hypocrites.  There  is  every  reason 
to  believe  that  the  awful  disaster  that  befel  David  on 
his  return  to  Ziklag  was  the  means  of  restoring  him  tc 
a  trustful  and  truthful  frame. 

It  appears  from  the  chapter  now  before  us  that,  in 
the  absence  of  David  and  his  troop,  severe  reprisals 
had  been  taken  by  the  Amalekites  for  the  defeat  and 
utter  destruction  which  they  had  lately  inflicted  on 
a  portion  of  their  tribe.  We  must  remember  that  the 
Amalekites  were  a  widely  dispersed  people,  consisting 
of  many  tribes,  each  living  separately  from  the  rest, 
but  so  related  that  in  an}^  emergency  they  would  readily 
come  to  one  another's  help.  News  of  the  extermina- 
tion of  the  tribes  whom  David  had  attacked,  and  whom 
he  had  utterly  destroyed  lest  any  of  them  should  bring 
word  to  Achish  of  his  real  employment,  had  been 
brought  to  their  neighbours ;  and  these  neighbours 
determined  to  take  revenge  for  the  slaughter  of  their 
kinsmen.  The  opportunity  of  David's  absence  was 
taken  for  invading  Ziklag,  for  w^hich  purpose  a  large 
and  well-equipped  expedition  had  been  got  together; 
and  as  they  met  with  no  opposition,  they  carried  every- 
thing before  them.  Happily,  however,  as  they  found 
no  enemies  they  did  not  draw  the  sword  ;  they  counted 
it  better  policy  to  carry  off  all  that  could  be  transported, 
so  as  to  make  use  of  the  goods,  and  sell  the  women  and 
children  into  slavery,  and  as  they  had  a  great  multitude 
of  beasts  of  burden  with  them  (ver.  17)  there  could 
be  no  difficulty  in  carrying  out  this  plan.  It  seem-, 
very  strange  that  David  should  have  left  Zikla-^ 
VOL.  I.  27 


iH8  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL. 


apparently  without  the  protection  of  a  single  soldier; 
but  what  seems  to  us  folly  had  all  the  effect  of  con- 
summate wisdom  in  the  end;  the  passions  of  the 
Amalekites  were  not  excited  by  opposition  or  b}^  blood- 
shed ;  their  destructive  propensities  were  satisfied  with 
destroying  the  town  of  Ziklag,  and  every  person  and 
thing  that  could  be  removed  was  carried  away  unhurt. 
But  for  days  to  come  David  could  not  know  that  their 
expedition  had  been  conducted  in  this  unusually  peace- 
ful way ;  his  imagination  and  his  fears  would  picture 
far  darker  scenes. 

It  must  have  been  an  awful  moment  to  David — 
hardly  less  so  than  to  Saul  when  he  saw  the  host  of 
the  Philistines  near  Jezreel — to  reach  what  had  been 
recently  so  peaceful  a  home  and  find  it  a  mass  of 
smoking  ruins.  If  he  had  been  disposed  to  congratu- 
late himself  on  the  success  of  the  policy  which  had  dic- 
tated his  escape  from  the  land  of  Judah,  and  his  settling 
at  Ziklag  under  protection  of  King  Achish,  how  in  one 
moment  must  the  rottenness  of  the  whole  plan  have 
flashed  upon  him,  and  how  awed  must  he  have  been 
at  the  proof  now  so  clearly  afforded  that  the  whole 
arrangement  had  been  frowned  on  by  the  God  of 
heaven  !  What  an  agony  of  suspense  and  distress  he 
must  have  been  in  till  more  definite  news  could  be 
obtained ;  and  what  a  burst  of  despair  must  have  been 
heard  through  the  camp  when  it  became  known  to  his 
followers  that  the  worst  that  could  be  conceived  had 
happened — that  their  houses  were  all  destroyed,  their 
property  seized,  and  their  wives  and  children  carried 
off,  to  be  disgraced,  or  sold,  or  butchered,  as  might  suit 
the  fancy  of  their  masters !  And  then,  that  remorse- 
less massacre  that  they  had  lately  inflicted  on  the  kinsmen 
of  their  invaders,  how  likely  it  would  be  to  exasperate 


xxx.]  DAVID  AT  ZIKLAG.  419 

their  passions  against  them  !  What  mercy  would  they 
show  whose  neighbours  had  received  no  mercy  ?  What 
a  dreadful  fate  would  these  helpless  women  and  children 
be  now  experiencing  ! 

It  was  probably  one  of  the  bitterest  of  the  many 
bitter  hours  that  David  ever  spent.  First  there  was  the 
natural  feeling  of  disappointment,  after  a  long  and  weary 
march,  when  the  comforts  of  home  had  been  so  eagerly 
looked  forward  to,  and  each  man  seemed  already  in  the 
embrace  of  his  family,  to  find  home  utterly  obliterated, 
and  its  place  marked  by  blackened  ruins.  Then  there 
was  the  far  more  intense  pang  to  every  affectionate 
heart,  caused  by  the  carrying  off  of  the  members  of  their 
families;  this,  it  appears,  was  the  predominant  feel- 
ing of  the  camp  :  "  the  soul  of  the  people  was  grieved, 
every  man  for  his  sons  and  for  his  daughters."  And 
somehow  David  was  the  person  blamed,  partly  perhaps 
through  that  hasty  but  unjust  feeling  that  blames  th.. 
leader  of  an  expedition  for  all  the  mishaps  attendinj^ 
it,  and  partly  also,  it  may  be,  because  Ziklag  had  been 
left  utterly  undefended.  '*  What  business  had  he  t» 
march  us  all  at  the  heels  of  these  uncircumcised  Philis 
tines,  as  if  we  ought  to  make  common  cause  with  them 
only  to  march  us  back  again  just  as  we  came,  to  gaii 
nothing  there  and  to  lose  everything  here  1 "  To  al\! 
this  was  added  a  further  element  of  excitement :  it  was 
not  merely  calamities  known  and  seen  that  worked  in 
the  minds  of  the  people;  the  gloom  of  dreaded  but 
uncertain  horrors  helped  to  excite  them  still  more. 
Imagination  would  quickly  supply  the  place  of  evidence 
in  picturing  the  situation  of  their  wives  and  children. 
The  feelings  of  the  troops  were  so  fearfully  excited 
against  David  that  they  spoke  of  stoning  him.  The  very 
men  that  had  lately  approached  him  with  the  beautiful 


420  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL. 

salutation,  '*  Peace,  peace  be  to  thee,  and  peace  be  tc 
thine  helpers,  for  thy  God  helpeth  thee,"  now  spoke 
of  stoning  him.  How  Hke  the  spirit  and  the  conduct 
of  their  descendants  a  thousand  years  later,  shouting 
at  one  time,  "  Hosanna  to  the  Son  of  David,"  and  but 
a  few  days  after,  '' Crucify  Him,  crucify  Him."  The 
state  of  David's  feelings  must  have  been  all  the  more 
terrible  for  the  uneasy  conscience  he  had  in  the  matter, 
for  he  had  too  much  cause  to  feel  that  the  dissembling 
policy  which  he  had  been  pursuing  had  caused  another 
massacre,  more  frightful  than  that  of  the  priests  after 
his  visit  to  Nob. 

It  is  probable  that  at  this  awful  moment  the  mind  of 
David  was  visited  by  a  blessed  influence  from  above. 
The  wail  of  woe  that  spread  through  his  camp,  and  the 
dismal  ruins  that  covered  the  site  of  his  recent  home, 
seem  to  have  spoken  to  him  in  that  tone  of  rebuke  which 
the  words  of  the  prophet  afterwards  conveyed,  "  Thou 
art  the  man  I "  Under  great  excitement  the  mind  works 
with  great  rapidity,  and  passes  almost  with  the  speed 
of  lightning  from  one  mood  to  another.  It  is  quite 
possible  that  under  the  same  electric  shock,  as  we  may 
call  it,  that  brought  David  to  a  sense  of  his  sin  he 
was  guided  back  to  his  former  confidence  in  the  mercy 
and  grace  of  his  covenant  God.  In  one  instant,  we 
may  believe,  the  miserable  hoUowness  of  all  those 
carnal  devices  in  which  he  had  been  trusting  would 
flash  upon  his  mind,  and  God  —  his  own  loving 
Father  and  covenant  God — would  appear  waiting  to  be 
gracious  and  longing  for  his  return.  And  now  the 
prodigal  son  is  in  his  Father's  arms,  weeping,  sobbing, 
confessing,  but  at  the  same  time  feeline^  the  luxury 
of  forgiveness,  rejoicing,  trusting  and  delighting  in 
His  protection  and  blessing. 


XXX.]  DAVID  AT  ZIKLAG.  421 

It  may  indeed  be  objected  that  we  are  proceeding 
too  much  on  mere  imagination  in  supposing  that 
David's  return  to  a  condition  of  holy  trust  in  God  was 
effected  in  this  rapid  way.  The  view  may  be  wrong, 
and  we  do  not  insist  on  it.  What  we  found  on  is 
the  very  short  interval  between  his  last  act  of  dissimula- 
tion in  professing  to  desire  to  accompany  Achish  to 
battle,  and  his  manifest  restoration  to  the  spirit  of 
trust,  evinced  in  the  words,  applied  to  him  when  the 
people  spoke  of  stoning  him,  '^  But  David  strengthened 
himself  in  the  Lord  his  God  "  (ver.  6).  These  words 
show  that  he  has  got  back  to  the  true  track  at  last, 
and  from  that  moment  prosperity  returns.  What  a 
blessed  thing  it  was  for  him  that  in  that  hour  of 
utmost  need  he  was  able  to  derive  strength  from  the 
thought  of  God, — able  to  think  of  the  Most  High  as 
watching  him  with  interest,  and  still  ready  to  deliver 
him  I 

It  was  a  somewhat  similar  incident,  though  not 
preceded  by  any  such  previous  backsliding — a  similar 
manifestation  of  the  magical  power  of  trust — that  took 
place  in  the  life  of  a  more  modern  David,  one  who  in 
serving  God  and  doing  good  to  man  had  to  encounter 
a  life  of  wandering,  privation,  and  danger  seldom 
surpassed — the  African  missionary  and  explorer, 
David  Livingstone.  In  the  course  of  his  great  journey 
from  St.  Paul  de  Loanda  on  the  west  coast  of  Africa 
to  Quilimane  on  the  east,  he  had  to  encounter  many 
an  angry  and  greedy  tribe,  whom  he  was  too  poor 
to  be  able  to  pacify  by  the  ordinary  method  of 
valuable  presents.  On  one  occasion,  in  the  fork  at  the 
confluence  of  the  river  Loangwa  and  the  river  Zambesi, 
he  found  one  of  those  hostile  tribes.  It  was  necessary 
for  him  to  have  canoes  to  cross — they  would  lend  him 


433  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL, 

only  one.  In  other  respects  they  showed  an  attitude 
of  hostility,  and  the  appearances  all  pointed  to  a  furious 
attack  the  following  day.  Livingstone  was  troubled 
at  the  prospect, — not  that  he  was  afraid  to  die,  but 
because  it  seemed  as  if  all  his  discoveries  in  Africa 
would  be  lost,  and  his  sanguine  hopes  for  planting 
commerce  and  Christianity  among  its  benighted  and 
teeming  tribes  knocked  on  the  head.  But  he  remem- 
bered the  words  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  "Go  ye 
therefore  into  all  the  world,  and  preach  the  gospel  unto 
every  creature,  and  lo,  I  am  with  you  alway,  even  unto 
the  end  of  the  world."  On  this  promise  he  rested,  and 
steadied  his  fluttering  heart.  "  It  is  the  word  of  a 
gentleman,"  he  said,  '*  the  word  of  one  of  the  most 
perfect  honour.  I  will  not  try,  as  I  once  thought,  to 
escape  by  night,  but  I  will  wait  till  to-morrow,  and 
leave  before  them  all.  Should  such  a  man  as  I  be 
afraid  ?  I  will  take  my  observations  for  longitude  to- 
night, though  it  should  be  my  last.  My  mind  is  now 
quite  at  rest,  thank  God."  He  waited  as  he  had  said, 
and  next  morning,  though  the  arrangements  of  the 
natives  still  betokened  battle,  he  and  his  men  were 
allowed  to  cross  the  river  in  successive  detachments, 
without  molestation,  he  himself  waiting  to  the  last,  and 
not  a  hair  of  their  heads  being  hurt.  It  was  a  fine 
instance  of  a  believing  Christian  strengthening  himself 
in  his  God.  When  faith  is  genuine,  and  the  habit 
of  exercising  it  is  active,  it  can  remove  mountains. 

The  first  result  of  the  restored  feeling  of  trust  in 
David  was  his  giving  honour  to  God's  appointed 
ordinance  by  asking  counsel  of  Him,  through  Abiathar 
the  priest,  as  to  the  course  he  should  follow.  It  is  the 
first  time  we  read  of  him  doing  so  since  he  left  his  own 
country.     At   first   one   wonders    how   he    could  have 


'^^'^•1  DAVID  AT  ZIKLAG,  423 


discontinued  so  precious  a  means  of  ascertaining  the 
will  of  God  and  the  path  of  duty.  But  the  truth  is, 
when  a  man  is  left  to  himself  he  cares  for  no  advice 
or  direction  but  his  own  inclination.  He  is  not 
desirous  to  be  led ;  he  wishes  only  to  go  comfortably. 
Indifference  to  God's  guidance  explains  much  neglect 
of  prayer. 

David  has  now  made  his  application,  and  he  has  got 
a  clear  and  decided  answer.  He  can  feel  now  that  he 
is  treading  on  solid  ground.  How  much  happier  he 
must  have  been  than  when  driving  hither  and  thither, 
scheming  and  dissembling,  and  floundering  from  one 
device  of  carnal  wisdom  to  another !  As  for  his  people, 
he  can  think  of  them  now  with  far  more  tranquillity  ; 
have  they  not  been  all  along  in  God's  keeping,  and  is  it 
not  true  that  He  that  keepeth  Israel  neither  slumbers 
nor  sleeps  ? 

We  need  not  dwell  at  great  length  on  the  incidents 
that  immediately  followed.  No  events  could  have  fallen 
out  more  favourably.  One-third  of  his  troops  was 
indeed  so  exhausted  that  they  had  to  be  left  at  the 
brook  Besor.  With  the  other  four  hundred  he  set 
out  in  search  of  the  foe.  The  special  providence  of 
God,  so  clearly  and  frequently  displayed  on  this 
occasion,  provided  a  guide  for  David  in  the  person  of 
an  Egyptian  slave,  who,  having  fallen  sick,  had  been 
abandoned  by  his  master,  and  had  been  three  days  and 
nights  without  meat  or  drink.  Careful  treatment  having 
resuscitated  this  young  man,  and  a  solemn  assurance 
having  been  given  him  that  he  would  neither  be  killed 
nor  given  back  to  his  master  (the  latter  alternative 
seems  to  have  been  as  terrible  as  the  other),  he  con- 
ducts them  without  loss  of  time  to  the  camp  of  the 
Amalekites.     Each  day's  journey  brought  them  nearer 


424  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL. 

and  nearer  to  the  great  wilderness  wliere,  some  five  or 
six  hundred  years  before,  their  fathers  had  encountered 
Amalek  at  Rephidim,  and  had  gained  a  great  victory 
over  them,  after  not  a  few  fluctuations,  through  the 
uplifted  arms  of  Moses,  the  token  of  reliance  on  the 
strength  of  God.  Through  the  sam.e  good  hand  on 
David,  the  Amalekites,  surprised  in  the  midst  of  a  time 
of  careless  and  uproarious  festivity,  were  completely 
routed,  and  all  but  destroyed.  Every  article  they  had 
stolen,  and  every  w^oman  and  child  they  had  carried 
off,  were  recovered  unhurt.  Such  a  deliverance  was 
beyond  expectation.  When  the  Lord  turned  again  the 
captivity  of  Ziklag,  they  were  like  men  that  dream. 

The  happy  change  of  circumstances  was  signalized 
by  David  by  two  memorable  acts,  the  one  an  act  of 
justice,  the  other  an  act  of  generosity.  The  act  of 
justice  was  his  interfering  to  repress  the  selfishness  of 
the  part  of  his  troops  who  were  engaged  in  the  fight 
with  Amalek,  some  of  whom  wished  to  exclude  the 
disabled  portion,  who  had  to  remain  at  the  brook  Besor, 
from  sharing  the  spoil.  The  objectors  are  called  ''  the 
wicked  men  and  the  men  of  Belial."  It  is  a  significant 
circumstance  that  David  had  been  unable  to  inspire 
all  his  followers  with  his  own  spirit — that  even  at  the 
end  of  his  residence  in  Ziklag  there  were  wicked  men 
and  men  of  Belial  among  them.  No  doubt  these  were 
the  very  men  that  had  been  loudest  in  their  complaints 
against  David,  and  had  spoken  of  stoning  him  when 
they  came  to  know  of  the  calamity  at  Ziklag.  Com- 
plaining men  are  generally  selfish  men.  They  objected 
to  David's  proposal  to  share  the  spoil  with  the  whole 
body  of  his  followers.  Their  proposal  was  especially 
displeasing  to  David  at  a  time  when  God  had  given 
them  such  tokens  of  undeserved  goodness.     It  was  of 


XXX.]  DAVID  AT  ZIKLAG.  42$ 

the  same  sort  as  the  act  of  the  unforgiving  servant  in 
the  parable,  who,  though  forgiven  his  ten  thousand 
talents,  came  down  with  unmitigated  ferocity  on  the 
fellow-servant  that  owed  him  an  hundred  pence. 

The  act  of  generosity  was  his  distribution  over  the 
cities  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  spoil  Vv^hich  he  had 
taken  from  the  Amalekites.  If  he  had  been  of  a  selfish 
nature  he  might  have  kept  it  all  for  himself  and  his 
people.  But  it  was  "  the  spoil  of  the  enemies  of  the 
Lord."  It  was  David's  desire  to  recognise  God  in 
connection  with  this  spoil,  both  to  show  that  he  had 
not  made  his  onslaught  on  the  Amalekites  for  personal 
ends,  and  to  acknowledge,  in  royal  style,  the  goodness 
which  God  had  shown  him.  That  it  was  an  act  of 
policy  as  well  as  a  recognition  of  God  may  be  readily 
acknowledged.  Undoubtedly  David  was  desirous  to 
gain  the  favourable  regard  of  his  neighbours,  as  a  help 
toward  his  recognition  when  the  throne  of  Israel  should 
become  empty.  But  we  may  surely  admit  this,  and 
yet  recognise  in  his  actions  on  this  occasion  the 
generosity  as  well  as  the  godhness  of  his  nature.  He 
was  one  of  those  men  to  whom  it  is  more  blessed  to 
give  than  to  receive,  and  who  are  never  so  happy  them- 
selves as  when  they  are  making  others  happy.  The 
Bethel  mentioned  in  ver.  27  as  first  among  the  places 
benefited  can  hardly  be  the  place  ordinarily  known  by 
that  name,  which  was  far  distant  from  Ziklag,  but  some 
other  Bethel  much  nearer  the  southern  border  of  the 
land.  The  most  northerly  of  the  places  specified  of 
whose  situation  we  are  assured  was  Hebron,  itself  well 
to  the  south  of  Judah,  and  soon  to  become  the  capital 
where  David  reigned.  The  large  number  of  places  that 
shared  his  bounty  was  a  proof  of  the  royal  liberality 
with  which  it  was  spread  abroad. 


426  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL, 


And  in  this  bounty,  this  royal  profusion  of  gifts, 
we  may  surely  recognise  a  fit  type  of  *'  great  David's 
greater  Son."  How  clearly  it  appeared  from  the  very 
first  that  the  spirit  of  Jesus  Christ  exemplified  His  own 
maxim  which  we  have  just  quoted,  ''  It  is  more  blessed 
to  give  than  to  receive."  Once  only,  and  that  in  His  in- 
fancy, when  the  wise  men  laid  at  His  feet  their  myrrh, 
frankincense,  and  gold,  do  we  read  of  anything  like  a 
lavish  contribution  of  the  gifts  of  earth  being  given  to 
Him.  But  follow  Him  through  the  whole  course  of  His 
earthly  life  and  ministry,  and  see  how  just  was  the 
image  of  Malachi  that  compared  Him  to  the  sun — "  the 
Sun  of  Righteousness  with  healing  in  His  wings." 
What  a  gloriously  diffusive  nature  He  had,  dropping 
gifts  of  fabulous  price  in  every  direction  without  money 
and  without  price  !  *' Jesus  went  about  in  all  Galilee" 
(it  was  now  the  turn  of  the  north  to  enjoy  the  benefit), 
"  teaching  in  their  synagogues,  and  preaching  the  gospel 
of  the  kingdom,  and  healing  all  manner  of  diseases  and 
all  manner  of  sickness  among  the  people."  Listen  to 
the  opening  v^rords  of  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount ;  what 
a  dropping  of  honey  as  from  the  honeycomb  we  have 
in  those  beatitudes,  which  so  wonderfully  commend  the 
precious  virtues  to  which  they  are  attached  !  Follow 
Jesus  through  any  part  of  His  earthly  career^  and  you 
find  the  same  spirit  of  royal  liberality.  Stand  by  Him 
even  in  the  last  hour  of  His  mortal  life,  and  count  His 
deeds  of  kindness.  See  how  He  heals  the  ear  of 
Malchus,  though  He  healed  no  wounds  of  His  own. 
Listen  to  Him  deprecating  the  tears  of  the  weeping 
women,  and  turning  their  attention  to  evils  among 
themselves  that  had  more  need  to  be  wept  for.  Hear 
the  tender  tones  of  His  prayer,  "  Father,  forgive  them, 
for  they  know  not  what  they  do."    Observe  the  gracious 


.XX.]  DAVID  AT  Z/KLAG,  427 

look  He  casts  on  the  thief  beside  Him  in  answer  to  his 
prayer — ''Verily  I  say  unto  thee,  this  day  shalt  thou 
be  with  Me  in  Paradise."  Mark  how  affectionately  He 
provides  for  His  mother.  See  Him  after  His  resurrec- 
tion saying  to  the  weeping  Mary,  Woman,  why  weepest 
thou  ?  Count  that  multitude  of  fishes  which  He  has 
brought  to  the  nets  of  His  disciples,  in  token  of  the 
riches  of  spiritual  success  with  which  they  are  to  be 
blessed.  And  mark,  on  the  day  of  Pentecost,  how 
richly  from  His  throne  in  glory  He  sheds  down  the 
Holy  Spirit,  and  quickens  thousands  together  with  the 
breath  of  spiritual  life.  "  Thou  hast  ascended  on  high, 
Thou  hast  led  captivity  captive.  Thou  hast  received 
^ifts  for  men  ;  yea,  for  the  rebellious  also,  that  the  Lord 
Kjkod  might  dwell  among  them." 

It  is  a  most  blessed  and  salutary  thing  for  you  all  to 
cnerish  the  thought  of  the  royal  munificence  of  Christ. 
Think  of  the  kindest  and  most  lavish  giver  you  ever 
knew,  and  think  how  Christ  surpasses  him  in  this 
very  grace  as  far  as  the  heavens  are  above  the  earth. 
What  encouragement  does  this  give  you  to  trust  in 
Him  !  What  a  sin  it  shows  you  to  commit  when  you 
turn  away  from  Him  I  But  remember,  too,  that  Jesus 
Christ  is  the  image  of  the  invisible  God.  Remember 
that  He  came  to  reveal  the  Father.  Perhaps  we  are 
more  disposed  to  doubt  the  royal  munificence  of  the 
Father  than  that  of  the  Son.  But  how  unreasonable 
is  this  !  Was  not  Jesus  Christ  Himself,  wath  all  the 
glorious  fulness  contained  in  him,  the  gift  of  God — His 
unspeakable  gift  ?  And  in  every  act  of  generosity  done 
by  Christ  have  we  not  just  an  exhibition  of  the  Father's 
heart  ?  Sometimes  we  think  hardly  of  God's  generosity 
in  connection  with  His  decree  of  election.  Leave  that 
alone  ;  it  is  one  of  the  deep  things  of  God  ;  remember 


428  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL, 

that  every  soul  brought  to  Christ  is  the  fruit  of  God's 
unmerited  love  and  infinite  grace  ;  and  remember  too 
what  a  vast  company  the  redeemed  are,  when  in  the 
Apocalyptic  vision,  an  early  section  of  them — those 
that  came  out  of  **  the  great  tribulation" — formed  a 
great  multitude  that  no  man  could  number.  Sometimes 
we  think  that  God  is  not  generous  when  He  takes  away 
very  precious  comforts,  and  even  the  most  cherished 
treasures  of  our  hearts  and  our  hom.es.  But  that  is 
love  in  disguise ;  **  What  I  do  thou  knowest  not  now, 
but  thou  shalt  know  hereafter."  And  sometimes  we 
think  that  He  is  not  generous  when  He  is  slow  to 
answer  our  prayers.  But  He  designs  only  to  encourage 
us  to  perseverance,  and  to  increase  and  finally  all 
the  more  reward  our  faith.  Yes,  truly,  whatever 
anomalies  Providence  may  present,  and  they  are  many ; 
whatever  seeming  contradictions  we  may  encounter  to 
the  doctrine  of  the  exceeding  riches  of  the  grace  of 
God,  let  us  ascribe  all  that  to  our  imperfect  vision  and 
our  imperfect  understanding.  Let  us  correct  all  such 
narrow  impressions  at  the  cross  of  Christ.  Let  us 
reason,  like  the  Apostle  :  *'  He  that  spared  not  His  own 
Son,  but  delivered  Him  up  for  us  all,  how  shall  He  not 
with  Him  also  freely  give  us  all  things  ?  "  And  let  us 
feel  assured  that  when  at  last  God's  ways  and  dealings 
even  with  this  wayward  world  are  made  plain,  the  one 
conclusion  which  they  will  go  to  establish  for  evermore 
is — that  God  is  Love. 


CHAPTER  XXXVL 

THE  DEATH  OF  SAUL, 
I  Samuel  xxxi. 

THE  plain  of  Esdraelon,  where  the  battle  between 
Saul  and  the  Philistines  was  fought,  has  been 
celebrated  for  many  a  deadly  encounter,  from  the  very 
earliest  period  of  history.  Monuments  of  Egypt  lately 
deciphered  make  it  very  plain  that  long  before  the 
country  was  possessed  by  the  Israelites  the  plain  had  ex- 
perienced the  shock  of  contending  armies.  The  records 
of  the  reign  of  Thotmes  III.,  who  has  sometimes  been 
called  the  Alexander  the  Great  of  Egypt,  bear  testimony 
to  a  decisive  fight  in  his  time  near  Megiddo,  and  enu- 
merate the  names  of  many  towns  in  the  neighbourhood, 
most  of  which  occur  in  Bible  history,  of  which  the  spoil 
was  carried  to  Egypt  and  placed  in  the  temples  of  the 
Egyptian  gods.  Here,  too,  it  was  afterwards  that  Barak 
encountered  the  Canaanites,  and  Gideon  the  Midianites 
and  Amalekites  ;  here  "  Jehu  smote  all  that  remained 
of  the  house  of  Ahab  in  Jezreel,  and  all  his  great  men, 
and  his  familiar  friends,  and  his  priests,  until  he  left 
none  remaining ; "  here  Josiah  was  slain  in  his  great 
battle  with  the  Egyptians ;  here  was  the  great  lamenta- 
tion after  Josiah's  death,  celebrated  by  Zechariah,  "  the 
mourning  of  Hadad-Rimmon  in  the  valley  of  Me- 
giddo ; "  in  short,  in  the  words  of  Dr.  Clarke,  "  Esdraelon 


430  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL, 

has  been  the  chosen  place  of  encampment  in  every  great 
contest  carried  on  in  the  country,  until  the  disastrous 
march  of  Napoleon  Bonaparte  from  Egypt  into  Syria. 
Jews,  Gentiles,  Saracens,  Crusaders,  Egyptians,  Per- 
sians, Druses,  Turks,  Arabs,  and  French,  warriors  out 
of  every  nation  which  is  under  heaven,  have  pitched 
their  tents  upon  the  plains  of  Esdraelon,  and  have 
beheld  their  banners  wet  with  the  dews  of  Tabor  and 
Hermon."  So  late  as  1840,  when  the  Pacha  of  Egypt 
had  seized  upon  Syria,  he  was  compelled  to  abandon 
the  country  when  the  citadel  of  Acre,  which  guards  the 
entrance  of  the  plain  of  Esdraelon  by  sea,  was  bom- 
barded and  destroyed  by  the  British  fleet.  It  is  no 
wonder  that  in  the  symbolical  visions  of  the  Apocalypse, 
a  town  in  this  plain,  Ar-Mageddon,  is  selected  as  the 
battle-field  for  the  great  conflict  when  the  kings  of  the 
whole  earth  are  to  be  gathered  together  unto  the  battle 
of  the  great  day  of  Almighty  God.  As  in  the  plains 
of  Belgium,  the  plains  of  Lombardy,  or  the  carse  of 
StirHng,  battle  after  battle  has  been  fought  in  the  space 
between  Jezreel  and  Gilboa,  to  decide  who  should  be 
master  of  the  whole  adjacent  territory. 

The  Philistine  host  are  said  to  have  gathered  them- 
selves together  and  pitched  in  Shunem  (chap,  xxviii.  4), 
and  afterwards  to  have  gathered  all  their  hosts  to 
Aphek,  and  pitched  by  the  fountain  which  is  in  Jezreel 
(xxix.  l).  That  is  to  say,  they  advanced  from  a  west- 
ward to  a  northward  position,  which  last  they  occupied 
before  the  battle.  Saul  appears  from  the  beginning  to 
have  arranged  his  troops  on  the  northern  slopes  of 
Mount  Gilboa,  and  to  have  remained  in  that  position 
during  the  battle.  It  was  an  excellent  position  for 
fighting,  but  very  unfavourable  for  a  retreat.  Appa- 
rently the  Philistines  began  the  battle  by  moving  south- 


xxxi.]  THE  DEATH  OF  SAUL.  431 

wards  across  the  plain  till  they  reached  the  foot  of 
Gilboa,  where  the  tug  of  war  began.  Notwithstanding 
the  favourable  position  of  the  Hebrews,  they  were 
completely  defeated.  The  archers  appear  to  have  done 
deadly  execution  ;  as  they  advanced  nearer  to  the  host 
of  Israel,  the  latter  would  move  backward  to  get  out  of 
range ;  while  the  PhiHstines,  gaining  confidence,  would 
press  them  more  and  more,  till  the  orderly  retreat 
became  a  terrible  rout.  So  utterly  routed  was  the 
Israelite  army  that  they  do  not  appear  to  have  tried  a 
single  rally,  which,  as  they  had  to  retreat  over  Mount 
Gilboa,  it  would  have  been  so  natural  for  them  to  do. 
Panic  and  consternation  seem  to  have  seized  them  very 
early  in  the  battle ;  that  they  would  be  defeated  was 
probably  a  foregone  conclusion,  but  the  attitude  of  a 
retreating  army  seems  to  have  been  assumed  more 
quickly  and  suddenly  than  could  have  been  supposed. 
If  the  Philistine  army,  seeing  the  early  confusion  of  the 
Israelites,  had  the  courage  to  pour  themselves  along 
the  valleys  on  each  side  of  Gilboa,  no  way  of  retreat 
would  be  left  to  their  enemy  except  over  the  top  of  the 
hill.  And  when  that  was  reached,  and  the  Israelites 
began  to  descend,  the  arrows  of  the  pursuing  Philistines 
would  fall  on  them  with  more  deadly  effect  than  ever, 
and  the  slaughter  would  be  tremendous. 

Saul  seems  never  to  have  been  deficient  in  personal 
courage,  and  in  the  course  of  the  battle  he  and  has  staft 
were  evidently  in  the  very  thickest  of  the  fight.  "The 
Philistines  followed  hard  upon  Saul  and  upon  his  sons  ; 
and  the  Philistines  slew  Jonathan,  and  Abinadab,  and 
Melchi-shua,  the  sons  of  Saul."  Saul  himself  was 
greatly  distressed  in  his  flight  by  reason  of  the  archers. 
Finding  himself  wounded,  and  being  provided  with 
neither  chariot  nor  other  means   of  escape,  a  horror 


432  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL. 

seized  him  that  if  once  the  enemy  got  possession  of 
him  aUve  they  would  subject  him  to  some  nameless 
mutilation  or  horrible  humiliation  too  terrible  to  be 
thought  of.  Hence  his  request  to  his  armour-bearer 
to  fall  on  him.  When  the  armour-bearer  refused,  he 
took  a  sword  from  him  and  killed  himself 

It  may  readily  be  allowed  that  to  one  not  ruled 
habitually  by  regard  to  the  will  of  God  this  was  the 
wisest  course  to  follow.  If  the  Philistine  treatment  of 
captive  kings  resembled  the  Assyrian,  death  was  far 
rather  to  be  chosen  than  Hfe.  When  w^e  find  on 
Assyrian  monuments  such  frightful  pictures  as  those  of 
kings  obliged  to  carry  the  heads  of  their  sons  in  pro- 
cessions, or  themselves  pinned  to  the  ground  by  stakes 
driven  through  their  hands  and  feet,  and  undergoing 
the  horrible  process  of  being  flayed  alive,  we  need  not 
wonder  at  Saul  shrinking  with  horror  from  what  he 
might  have  had  to  suffer  if  he  had  been  taken  prisoner. 

But  what  are  we  to  think  of  the  moral  aspect  of  his 
act  of  suicide  ?  That  in  all  ordinar}'-  cases  suicide  is  a 
daring  sin,  who  can  deny  ?  God  has  not  given  to  man 
the  disposal  of  his  life  in  such  a  sense.  It  is  a  daring 
thing  for  man  to  close  his  day  of  grace  sooner  than 
God  would  have  closed  it.  It  is  a  reckless  thing  to 
rush  into  the  presence  of  his  Maker  before  His  Maker 
has  called  him  to  appear.  It  is  a  presumptuous  thing 
to  calculate  on  bettering  his  condition  by  plunging  into 
an  untried  eternity.  No  doubt  one  must  be  tender  in 
judging  of  men  pressed  hard  by  real  or  imaginary  terrors, 
perhaps  their  reason  staggering,  their  instincts  tremb- 
ling, and  a  horror  of  great  darkness  obscuring  every- 
thing. Yet  how  often,  in  his  last  written  words,  does 
the  suicide  bear  testimony  against  himself  when  he  hopes 
that  God  will  forgive  him,  and  beseeches  his  friends  to 


xxxi.]  THE  DEATH  OF  SA'JL,  433 

forgive  him.  Does  not  this  show  that  in  his  secret 
soul  he  is  conscious  that  he  ought  to  have  borne  longer, 
ought  to  have  quitted  himself  more  like  a  man,  and 
suffered  every  extremity  of  fortune  before  quenching 
the  flame  of  life  within  him  ? 

The  truth  is,  that  the  suicide  of  Saul,  as  of  many 
another,  is  an  act  that  cannot  be  judged  by  itself,  but 
must  be  taken  in  connection  with  the  course  of  his 
previous  life.  We  have  said  that  to  one  not  habitually 
ruled  by  regard  to  the  will  of  God,  self-destruction  at 
such  a  moment  was  the  wisest  course.  That  is  to  say, 
if  he  merely  balanced  what  appeared  to  be  involved 
in  terminating  his  life  against  what  was  involved  in 
the  Philistines  taking  him  and  torturing  him,  the  former 
alternative  was  by  far  the  more  tolerable.  But  the 
question  comes  up, — if  he  had  not  habitually  disregarded 
the  will  of  God,  would  he  ever  have  been  in  that  pre- 
dicament ?  The  criminality  of  many  an  act  must  be 
thrown  back  on  a  previous  act,  out  of  which  it  has 
arisen.  A  drunkard  in  a  midnight  debauch  quarrels 
with  his  father,  and  plunges  a  knife  into  his  heart. 
When  he  comes  to  himself  he  is  absolutely  unconscious 
of  what  he  has  done.  He  tells  you  he  had  no  wish 
nor  desire  to  injure  his  father.  It  was  not  his  proper 
self  that  did  it,  but  his  proper  self  over-mastered,  over- 
thrown, brutalized  by  the  monster  drink.  Do  you 
excuse  him  on  this  account  ?  Far  from  it.  You  excuse 
him  of  a  deliberate  design  against  his  father's  life.  But 
you  say  the  possibility  of  that  deed  was  involved  in 
his  getting  drunk.  For  a  man  to  get  drunk,  to  deprive 
himself  for  the  time  of  his  senses,  and  expose  himself 
to  an  influence  that  may  cause  him  to  commit  a  most 
horrible  and  unnatural  crime,  is  a  fearful  sin.  Thus 
you  carry  back  the   criminality  of  the  murder  to  the 

VOL.  I.  28 


434  ^HE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL. 

previous  act  of  getting  drunk.  So  in  regard  to  the 
suicide  of  Saul.  The  criminaUty  of  that  act  is  to  be 
carried  back  to  the  sin  of  which  he  was  guilty  when  he 
determined  to  follow  his  own  will  instead  of  the  will  of 
God.  It  was  through  that  sin  that  he  was  brought 
into  his  present  position.  Had  he  been  dutiful  to  God 
he  would  never  have  been  in  such  a  dilemma.  On  the 
one  hand  he  never  would  have  been  so  defeated  and 
humiliated  in  battle ;  and  on  the  other  hand  he  would 
have  had  a  trust  in  the  Divine  protection  even  when  a 
bloody  enemy  Uke  the  Philistines  was  about  to  seize 
him.  It  was  the  true  source  alike  of  his  pubhc  defeat 
and  of  his  private  despair  that  he  indicated  when  he 
said  to  Samuel;  "  God  is  departed  from  me ; "  and 
he  might  have  been  sure  that  God  would  not  have 
departed  from  him  if  he  had  not  first  departed  from  God. 
It  is  a  most  important  principle  of  hfe  we  thus  get 
sight  of,  when  we  see  the  bearing  that  one  act  of  sin 
has  upon  another.  It  is  very  seldom  indeed  that  the 
consequences  of  any  sin  terminate  with  itself.  Sin  has 
a  marvellous  power  of  begetting,  of  leading  you  on  to 
other  acts  that  you  did  not  think  of  at  first,  of  involving 
you  in  meshes  that  were  then  quite  out  of  your  view. 
And  this  multiplying  process  of  sin  is  a  course  that 
may  begin  very  early.  Children  are  warned  of  it  in 
the  hymn — "  He  that  does  one  fault  at  first,  and  lies  to 
hide  it,  makes  it  two."  A  sin  needs  to  be  covered,  and 
another  sin  is  resorted  to  in  order  to  provide  the 
covering.  Nor  is  that  all.  You  have  a  partner  in 
your  sin,  and  to  free  yourseL'  you  perhaps  betray  your 
partner.  That  partner  may  be  not  only  the  weaker 
vessel,  but  also  by  far  the  heavier  sufferer,  and  yet,  in 
your  wretched  selfishness,  you  deny  all  share  of  the 
sin,  or  you   leave  your  partner  to  be  ruined.     Alas  I 


xxxi.]  THE  DEATH   OF  SAUL,  43^ 

alas  !  how  terrible  are  the  ways  of  sin.  How  difficult 
it  often  is  for  the  sinner  to  retrace  his  steps  !  And 
how  terrible  is  the  state  of  mind  when  one  says,  I 
must  commit  this  sin  or  that — I  have  no  alternative ! 
How  terrible  was  Saul's  position  when  he  said,  *'  I 
must  destroy  myself."  Truly  sin  is  a  hard,  unfeeling 
master — *^  The  way  of  transgressors  is  hard."  He  only 
that  walketh  uprightly  walketh  surely.  "Blessed  are 
the  undefiled  in  the  way,  that  walk  in  the  law  of 
the  Lord." 

The  terrible  nature  of  the  defeat  which  the  Israelites 
suffered  on  this  day  from  the  Philistines  is  apparent 
from  what  is  said  in  the  seventh  verse — "  And  when 
the  men  of  Israel  that  were  on  the  other  side  of  the 
valley,  and  they  that  were  beyond  Jordan,  saw  that  the 
men  of  Israel  fled,  and  that  Saul  and  his  sons  were 
dead,  they  forsook  their  cities  and  fled;  and  the 
Philistines  came  and  dwelt  in  them."  The  plain  of 
Esdraelon  is  interrupted,  and  in  a  sense  divided  into 
two,  by  three  hills — Tabor,  Gilboa,  and  Little  Hermon. 
On  the  eastern  side  of  these  hills  the  plain  is 
continued  on  to  the  Jordan  valley.  The  effect  of  the 
battle  of  Gilboa  was  that  all  the  rich  settlements 
in  that  part  of  the  plain  had  to  be  forsaken  by  the 
Israelites  and  given  up  to  the  Philistines.  More  than 
that,  the  Jordan  valley  ceased  to  afford  the  protection 
which  up  to  this  time  it  had  supplied  against  enemies 
from  the  west.  For  the  most  part,  the  trans-Jordanic 
tribes  were  exposed  to  quite  a  different  set  of  enemies. 
It  was  the  Syrians  from  the  north,  the  Moabites  and 
the  Ammonites  from  the  east,  and  the  Midianites  and 
Amalekites  from  the  remoter  deserts,  that  were  usually 
the  foes  of  Reuben,  Gad,  and  Manasseh.  But  on  th^fi 
occasion  a   new  foe  assailed    them.      The    Phihstincs 


436  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL, 

actually  crossed  the  Jordan,  and  the  rich  pastures 
of  Gilead  and  Bashan,  with  the  flocks  and  herds  that 
swarmed  upon  them,  became  the  prey  of  the  uncir- 
cumcised.  Thus  the  terror  of  the  Philistines,  hitherto 
confined  to  the  western  portion  of  the  country,  was 
spread,  with  all  its  attendant  horrors,  over  the  length 
and  breadth  of  Israel.  We  get  a  vivid  view  of  the 
state  of  the  country  when  David  was  called  to  take 
charge  of  it.  And  we  get  a  vivid  view  of  the  worse 
than  embarrassment,  the  fatal  crime,  into  which 
David  would  have  been  led  if  he  had  remained  in 
the  Philistine  camp  and  taken  any  part  in  this 
campaign. 

How  utterly  crushed  the  Philistines  considered  the 
Israelites  to  be,  and  how  incapable  of  striking  any 
blow  in  their  own  defence,  is  apparent  from  the 
humiliating  treatment  of  the  bodies  of  Saul  and  his 
sons,  the  details  of  which  are  given  in  this  chapter  and 
in  the  parallel  passage  in  I  Chronicles  (chap.  x.).  If 
there  had  been  any  possibility  of  the  Israelites  being 
stung  into  a  new  effort  by  the  dishonour  done  to  their 
king  and  princes,  that  dishonour  would  not  have  been 
so  terribly  insulting.  But  there  was  no  such  pos- 
sibility. The  treatment  was  doubly  insulting.  Saul's 
head,  severed  from  his  body,  was  put  in  the  temple  of 
Dagon  (i  Chron.  x.) ;  his  armour  was  hung  up  in  the 
house  of  Ashtaroth ;  and  his  body  was  fastened  to  the 
wall  of  Beth-shan.  The  same  treatment  seems  to  have 
been  bestowed  on  his  three  sons.  The  other  part  of 
the  insult  arose  from  the  idolatrous  spirit  in  which  all 
this  was  done.  The  tidings  of  the  victory  were  ordered 
to  be  carried  to  the  house  of  their  idols  as  well  as  to 
their  people  (l  Sam.  xxxi.  9).  The  trophies  were 
displayed  in  the  temples  of  these  idols.     The  spirit  of 


xxxi.]  THE  DEATH  OF  SAUL,  437 

vaunting,  which  had  so  roused  David  against  Goliath 
because  he  defied  the  armies  of  the  Hving  God,  appeared 
far  more  offensively  than  ever.  Not  only  was  Israel 
defeated,  but  in  the  view  of  the  Philistines  Israel's 
God  as  well  Dagon  and  Ashtaroth  had  triumphed 
over  Jehovah.  The  humiliation  suffered  in  the  days 
when  the  ark  of  God  brought  sucli  calamities  to  them 
and  their  gods  was  now  amply  avenged.  The 
image  of  Dagon  was  not  found  lying  on  its  face,  all 
shattered  save  the  stump,  after  the  heads  of  Saul  and 
his  sons  had  been  placed  in  his  temple.  Yes,  and  the 
nobles  at  least  of  the  Philistines  would  boast  that  the 
slaughter  of  Goliath  by  David,  and  the  placing  of  his 
head  and  his  armour  near  Jerusalem — probably  in 
the  holy  place  of  Israel — were  amply  avenged.  Well 
was  it  for  David,  we  may  say  again,  that  he  had  no 
share  in  this  terrible  battle  !  Henceforth  undoubtedly 
there  would  be  no  more  truce  on  his  part  towards  the 
PhiHstines.  Had  they  not  dishonoured  the  person  of 
his  king  ?  had  they  not  insulted  the  dead  body  of 
Jonathan  his  noble  friend?  had  they  not  hurled  new 
defiance  against  the  God  of  Israel?  had  they  not  spread 
robbery  and  devastation  over  the  whole  length  and 
breadth  of  the  country,  and  turned  every  happy  family 
into  a  group  of  cowering  slaves  ?  Were  this  people 
to  be  any  longer  honoured  with  his  friendship  ?  "  O 
my  soul,  come  not  thou  into  their  secret ;  unto  their 
assembly,  mine  honour,  be  not  thou  united  1 " 

The  only  redeeming  incident,  in  all  this  painful 
narrative,  is  the  spirited  enterprise  of  the  men  of 
Jabesh-gilead,  coming  to  Beth-shan  by  night,  removing 
the  bodies  of  Saul  and  his  sons  from  the  wall,  and 
bur^dng  them  with  all  honour  at  Jabesh,  Beth-shan 
was  a  considerable  distance  from  Gilboa,  where  Saul 


438  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL. 


and  his  sons  appear  to  have  fallen  ;  but  probably  it 
was  the  largest  city  in  the  neighbourhood,  and  there- 
fore the  best  adapted  to  put  the  remains  of  the  king 
and  the  princes  to  open  shame.  Jabesh-gilead  was 
somewhere  on  the  other  side  of  the  Jordan,  distant  from 
Beth-shan  several  miles.  It  was  highly  creditable  to 
its  people  that,  after  a  long  interval,  the  remembrance 
of  Saul's  first  exploit,  when  he  relieved  them  from  the 
cruel  threats  of  the  Ammonites,  was  still  strong  enough 
to  impel  them  to  the  gallant  deed  which  secured 
honourable  burial  for  the  bodies  of  Saul  and  his  sons. 
We  are  conscious  of  a  reverential  feeling  rising  in  our 
hearts  toward  this  people  as  we  think  of  their  kindness 
to  the  dead,  as  if  the  whole  human  race  were  one  family, 
and  a  kindness  done  nearly  three  thousand  years  ago 
were  in  some  sense  a  kindness  to  ourselves. 

That  first  exploit  of  Saul's,  rescuing  the  men  of 
Jabesh-gilead,  seems  never  to  have  been  surpassed  by 
any  other  enterprise  of  his  reign.  As  we  now  look 
back  on  the  career  of  Saul,  which  occupies  so  large  a 
portion  of  this  book,  we  do  not  find  much  to  interest 
or  refresh  us.  He  belonged  to  the  order  of  military 
kings.  He  was  not  one  of  those  who  were  devoted  to 
the  intellectual,  or  the  social,  or  the  religious  elevation 
of  his  kingdom.  His  one  idea  of  a  king  was  to  rid 
his  country  of  its  enemies.  *'  He  fought,"  we  are  told, 
"  against  all  his  enemies  on  every  side,  against  Moab, 
and  against  the  children  of  Ammon,  and  against  Edom, 
and  against  the  king  of  Zobah,  and  agair.st  the  Philis- 
tines :  and  whithersoever  he  turned  himself  he  vexed 
them.  And  he  did  valiantly  and  smote  Amalek,  and 
delivered  Israel  out  of  the  hands  of  them  that  spoiled 
them."  That  success  gave  him  a  good  name  as  king,  but 
it  did  not  draw  much  affection  to  him ;  and  it  had  more 


xxxl]  the  death  of  SAUL,  439 

effect  in  ridding  the  people  of  evil  than  in  conferring 
on  them  positive  good.  Royalty  bred  in  Saul  what  it 
bred  in  most  kings  of  the  East,  an  imperious  temper, 
a  despotic  will.  Even  in  his  own  family  he  played 
the  despot.  And  if  he  played  the  despot  at  home 
he  did  so  not  less  in  public.  All  that  we  can  say  in 
his  favour  is,  that  he  did  not  carry  his  despotism  so 
far  as  many.  But  his  jealous  and  in  so  far  despotic 
temper  could  not  but  have  had  an  evil  effect  on  his 
people.  We  cannot  suppose  that  when  jealousy  was 
so  deep  in  his  nature  David  was  the  only  one  of  his 
officers  who  experienced  it.  The  secession  of  so  many 
very  able  men  to  David,  about  the  time  when  he  was 
with  the  Philistines,  looked  as  if  Saul  could  not  but 
be  jealous  of  any  man  who  rose  to  high  military 
eminence.  That  Saul  was  capable  of  friendly  impulses 
is  very  different  from  saying  that  his  hcLrt  was 
warm  and  winning.  The  most  vital  want  in  him  was 
the  want  of  godliness.  He  had  Httle  faith  in  the 
nation  as  God's  nation,  God's  heritage.  He  had  little 
love  for  prophets,  or  for  men  of  faith,  or  for  any 
who  attached  great  importance  to  moral  and  spiritual 
considerations.  His  persecution  of  David  and  his 
murder  of  the  priests  are  deep  stains  than  can  never 
be  erased.  And  that  godless  nature  of  his  became 
worse  as  he  went  on.  It  is  striking  that  the  last 
transaction  in  his  reign  was  a  decided  failure  in  the 
the  very  department  in  which  he  had  usually  excelled. 
He  who  had  gained  what  eminence  he  had  as  a  military 
king,  utterly  failed,  and  involved  his  people  in  utter 
humiliation,  in  that  very  department.  His  abilities 
failed  him  because  God  had  forsaken  him.  The  Philis- 
tines whom  he  had  so  often  defeated  crushed  him  in 
the  end.     To  him  the  last  act  of  life  v/as  very  di.  erc.t 


440  THE  FIRST  BOOK  OF  SAMUEL, 

from  that  of  Samson — Samson  conquering  in  his  death  ^ 
Saul  defeated  and  disgraced  in  his. 

Need  we  again  urge  the  lesson  ?  **  Them  that 
honour  Me  I  will  honour;  but  they  that  despise  Me 
shall  be  lightly  esteemed."  You  dare  not  leave  God 
out  in  your  estimate  of  the  forces  that  bear  upon 
your  life.  You  dare  not  give  to  Him  a  secondary 
place.  God  must  have  the  first  place  in  your  regards. 
Are  you  really  honouring  Him  above  all,  prizing  His 
favour,  obeying  His  will,  trusting  in  His  word  ?  Are 
you  even  trying,  amid  many  mortifying  failures,  to 
•lo  so  ?  It  is  not  the  worst  life  that  numbers  many 
I  failure,  many  a  confession,  many  a  prayer  for  mercy 
md  for  grace  to  help  in  time  of  need,  provided  always 
your  heart  is  habitually  directed  to  God  as  the  great 
end  of  existence,  the  Pole  Star  by  which  your  steps 
are  habitually  to  be  directed,  the  Sovereign  whose 
holy  will  must  be  your  great  rule,  the  Pattern 
whose  likeness  should  be  stamped  on  your  hearts,  the 
God  and  Father  of  your  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  whose 
love,  and  favour,  and  blessing  are  evermore  the  best 
and  brightest  inhtTitance  for  all  the  children  of  men. 


END   OF   VOL.   I. 


I 


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